


Partners

by CaitlinRose94



Category: Carmilla (Web Series)
Genre: Alternate Universe, F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-12-10
Updated: 2015-01-04
Packaged: 2018-02-28 20:55:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 27,609
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2746712
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CaitlinRose94/pseuds/CaitlinRose94
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Police AU!</p><p>Laura's partner quits the force just as a new case is breaking. Carmilla is assigned as her new partner, but Laura doesn't like the idea of working with a vampire.</p><p>She and Carmilla have to put their differences aside in order to crack the case before all of the missing girls turn up dead. They form an unexpected friendship, that might be growing in to something more.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Goodbye Betty

Betty placed her badge down on Laura’s desk. Laura knew that she was leaving today, but that didn’t make her ready for it.

‘Are you sure about this Spielsdorf?’ Laura asked. ‘This new case could be big. Are you really going to let me have all the glory?’

‘You only get the glory when you crack the case, and I don’t like your chances without me.’ They both laughed. Laura pushed her chair back and stood up. Betty pulled her in to a hug. ‘I’m gonna miss you Hollis.’

Laura blinked back tears. ‘I’m gonna miss you, too.’ She pulled back and gave Betty a playful shove. ‘Now get your butt out of here. You’re depressing the office.’

Betty smiled, cleared out the last of her belongings, and left. Laura stared at her empty desk. Four years wiped away in the space of two minutes. Betty was her first and only partner. Together, they were the youngest agents on the force, and held the highest incarceration record in the precinct. They’d spent almost every day together since they became partners. Betty had caught a cab to her apartment at two in the morning after Laura broke up with her ex-girlfriend. Laura held Betty’s hand at her father’s funeral. They were the only agents to ever take down a vampire without any back up. They’d done everything together, and now she was gone.

The chief stepped in from the hallway, ‘Hollis? My office, I’ve got news.’ Laura wiped her nose on her sleeve, not wanting to look like she’d been crying, and followed behind her. ‘Shut the door.’

Laura pulled the door shut. ‘What’s this about? Has another girl gone missing?’

‘No, there’s no reason to get excited. In fact, I don’t think you’re going to be happy about this.’ The chief gestured for Laura to take a seat, and she obeyed. ‘Betty’s gone. We’re all going to miss her. I know you achieved a lot of things together, but there’s no time for you to be running solo with this new case developing.’

‘Danny, don’t tell me-‘

‘It’s Chief Lawrence, now.’ Laura sucked her bottom lip in to her mouth and looked away. Danny continued, ‘Like I said, this isn’t the time to be taking any risks. The precinct up north is sending someone down for you. You’ll have your new partner tomorrow morning.’

‘You’re kidding, right? Tell me you’re kidding.’

Danny didn’t blink.

‘It hasn’t even been a _day_ and you’re telling me I have a new partner?’ Laura stood up suddenly. ‘Who is this person? What do we know about them? Did you even check through their file, or did you just salute the folks up north and let them throw their garbage agents our way?’

Danny stood up and slammed her hands down on her desk. ‘Listen Hollis,’ she said, leaning over, ‘you need to check your attitude at the door. Of course I went through their file. You really think I’d dump you with some rookie? After everything…’ she trailed off. ‘Look. Just be here tomorrow morning at eight to meet your new partner. Now get out of my office.’

Laura turned her back on her. ‘I’ll see you tomorrow, _Chief Lawrence._ ’

 

The first thing she wanted to do was call Betty, but she couldn’t. The last case they’d run together had been a mess. Someone had been illegally tapping in to dark magic to summon poltergeists. She and Betty had been doing a routine interview with some punk kid when he pulled out a bottle of violet sand and threw it on Betty. The poltergeists had swooped on her in seconds, and if Laura hadn’t had a vial of blessed salt in her bag, Betty would be dead. That’s when Betty decided she’d had enough. She had a one year-old daughter at home she had to think about. So she gave them her six months notice, and Laura promised to never drag her back in to police business once her time was up. ‘Call me any time – as long as it’s not about work’ she’d joked. 

Laura ran a hand through her hair and had another sip of wine. All of the lights in her apartment were off and she was sitting by the window. The stars were out tonight. She had a great view from her balcony, but she couldn’t enjoy it right now. She was too bitter over Betty leaving. And she felt guilty for being bitter. Whatever. She finished her glass, grabbed her yellow pillow off the sofa, and went to bed.

 

The light streaming through the window hit Laura’s face. She groaned, rolling over to the side of her bed still cast in shadow. She opened one eye to look at the clock: 6:03am. In two hours she’d be meeting her new partner. She felt sick. Wait, she _actually_ felt sick. Laura rolled out of her bed and ran in to the bathroom. She threw up in her toilet for fifteen minutes before dragging herself out to her lounge room. An empty bottle of wine was lying on its side on the table. She picked it up, put it in the bin, and walked over to the kitchen sink. The sun was halfway up in the sky. She cupped her hands under the tap and splashed her face with water. She felt like shit, and she knew she looked it. But she wouldn’t give Danny - or this new partner - the satisfaction of seeing her like this.

She’d taken a long shower and put enough makeup on to cover the bags under her eyes. Now she was standing in front of her closet. She slid on a pair of black high waisted pants and a black button-up. She clipped her identification number to her collar and strapped her gun to her waist, making sure that it was clearly visible beneath the bottom of her blouse. She wasn’t in the mood to fuck around today.

 

The commute to work took longer than expected. It was four minutes past eight by the time she walked in to the office. Danny wasn’t going to be happy. As soon as she walked in to the room everybody turned to face her.

‘What?’ She asked.

Natalie, one of the girls from the Mystical Artifacts department, walked over to her, ‘Uh, Laura, she’s here.’

Laura glanced down at her hands, which were absent-mindedly twirling a pen. She looked nervous. ‘Who’s here?’

‘The new partner.’

Laura’s face hardened. Natalie patted her on the shoulder before walking away. Great. Now she had to be late for Danny as well as the new agent. She steeled herself before opening the door to Danny’s office.

‘Chief Lawrence,’ she said.

‘You’re late,’ Danny replied without turning around. 

‘Had a late night.’

Danny turned to look at her. Her eyes travelled over Laura’s face. ‘I see,’ she said. ‘Well, Hollis, this is Carmilla Karnstein, your new partner.’

Laura followed Danny’s eye line to the back corner of the room. Carmilla was leaning against the wall, arms folded. Laura looked her up and down. She was dressed head to toe in black, from her jacket, to her tight leather pants, and right down to her worn boots. ‘I don’t think those pants are protocol.’

Carmilla smirked. ‘I can move in them just fine.’ She leant forward and extended a hand, but Laura didn’t take it. ‘Right,’ Carmilla said, ‘still bitter over Betty I take it? Tough luck, cupcake, some agents just can’t handle the field. Everybody’s gotta retire some day.’

Laura’s hand slid to her gun. Carmilla’s eyes followed the movement. Evidently, it didn’t go unnoticed by Danny.

‘Stand down, Hollis.’ Danny said. Laura bit down on the inside of her cheek, and her hand came back to rest by her side. ‘You’ll play nice, or you won’t play at all. Don’t make me bench you.’

Carmilla looked amused, and it made Laura furious, but she wouldn’t take the bait. ‘Welcome to Silas 307,’ she mumbled, extending her hand to Carmilla. She shook it. Laura withdrew her hand immediately. Carmilla was ice-cold. 

‘There’s been a development.’ Danny’s words snapped her back to attention.

‘Another vic?’ Laura asked.

‘I’m afraid so. Be in the conference room in fifteen minutes, I’m running the debrief. I want both of you by my side. Dismissed.’

Carmilla slid away from the wall and walked past Laura. ‘Nice to meet you, cutie.’ Laura hated her already.

 

It turned out that someone called in to report that his daughter had been missing for twelve hours this morning. There were a lot of missing persons calls, especially in this town, but there was one detail that linked this particular call back to Laura’s case: the slime. At the scene of the last three abductions, fluorescent yellow slime was found. They almost missed it when they swept the first crime scene because it was somewhat translucent. The bio technicians hadn’t been able to determine what it was, but Laura knew it was magical. Someone was messing around with dangerous powers, and she wanted to know who and why.

Carmilla had been silent for the entire debrief until she piped up right at the end. ‘So this slime,’ she asked, ‘it has magical properties?’

‘That’s uncertain at this point in time, but Laura is confident that it does,’ Danny said.

Carmilla’s eyes swept over Laura before she replied. ‘Well I guess that’s good enough. Have you considered that these girls are being targeted because they’ve been practicing magic themselves? The perp didn’t necessarily leave behind the slime. It could have been a Tapparich demon that was attracted to the spiritual energy.’

‘Tapparich demons aren’t native to this part of the state.’ Laura said.

Carmilla narrowed her eyes. ‘Regardless, it’s a new angle to come at this case from. Could blow open some doors.’

Danny slapped her on the back. ‘Excellent. You’re the pair of fresh eyes this case needed.’ Laura rolled her eyes. ‘Hollis, I want you and Karnstein to hit downtown. See if you can rat out anybody selling magic to young girls. There’s no way these kids possessed any kind of natural power.’

‘Can you be sure of that?’ Carmilla asked.

‘We’ve got a registry.’ Laura said. ‘All supernatural beings are on file in our system. None of the vics matched.’

Carmilla raised an incredulous eyebrow. ‘A registry? Seriously? Isn’t that a violation of privacy?’

‘The only people unwilling to go on record are the ones who have something to hide.’

Carmilla bit her lip and looked down at the ground. Danny turned to address them, ‘I want you out in the field today, guys. There’s a pattern developing. We’ve got seventy-two hours before the perp strikes again. Get out there and get me some results.’

Laura pulled her keys from her pocket and headed for the door. 

‘Hold up, Lauronica Mars.’ Carmilla said. ‘You can’t leave without your partner.’

Laura’s hand tightened around the keys. ‘Just don’t get in my way.’

‘I wouldn’t dream of it.’

 

They’d been searching across town for three hours and still had nothing. Laura even had to subdue an overly violent gentleman that tried to stun her when she approached him. A quick jab to the throat brought him down to his knees, much to Carmilla’s amusement. ‘For such a pint-sized girl, you can really pack a punch,’ she’d said. Laura had cracked her knuckles, ‘Don’t forget it.’

Now Laura was standing by a stall waiting for her coffee. Carmilla was studying some graffiti on the abandoned building across the road. Laura poured one packet of sugar in to her paper cup, took a deep breath, and walked over to her new partner. ‘This is a dead end.’

Carmilla turned to face her. She looked at the coffee in her hand. ‘Where’s mine, partner?’

‘Don’t know how you like it.’

Carmilla raised an eyebrow. ‘I’m sure you’d like to find out.’ She breezed past Laura to get her own drink from the stall.

Was she flirting with her? That’s just what she needed. A moody new partner that was going to sarcastically hit on her all the time. She took a big swig of her coffee. It was a little more bitter than she liked it, but she finished the cup. Carmilla was sipping on her own lidded beverage. 

‘Let me guess,’ Laura said, eyeing her, ‘black coffee? No sugar?’

Carmilla smirked. ‘I don’t drink coffee.’

Another reason to dislike her. Laura looked at her watch. ‘Danny wants some results from us before five, we’ve got to get moving.’

‘Danny?’ Carmilla cocked her eyebrow. ‘That’s a little familiar, isn’t it?’

Laura ignored her. That wasn’t a conversation she felt like having with her new and irritating partner. ‘I don’t think these girls were getting the magic on the sly.’

‘What makes you so sure?’

‘Did you read their files?’

Carmilla’s jaw twitched. ‘Of course I read their files. I’m on the case, aren’t I?’

‘Yeah. Anyway, all of these girls come from nice families. Nice homes. Nice schools. They’re all brilliant students.’

‘What’s your point?’

‘My point,’ Laura said, annunciating a little harder than usual, ‘is that these aren’t the kind of girls who take a stroll through midtown Silas looking to cut a deal. They’re good girls. If they’re dabbling in magic, they’re going to take the safest route.’ Carmilla stared at her, mouth closed. ‘They needed ingredients to cast spells or whatever, right? They probably just went to a magic shop.’

‘How many magic shops are there around here? That could take a whole day to interview all of them.’

‘There’s only one within the city limits.’

Carmilla choked on her drink. _’One_ magic shop? Are you kidding me? Where does the supernatural populace get all their junk from?’

‘This is a small town, Karnstein. We don’t need a string of magical stores. Anyway, I know where the joint is. I’ve been there once or twice.’

Carmilla tossed her paper cup in to the trash. ‘Let’s roll out.’

 

The one lingering customer inside of the store cleared out as soon as Laura entered it. He tucked his hat down over his eyes and slid behind them and out of the door.

‘Not too friendly around here, huh?’ Carmilla said, turning to watch him leave.

‘I’ve got a reputation.’

‘I’m sure.’ Carmilla grinned. She approached the empty desk and rung the bell. A shock of bright orange hair popped out from a door at the back of the room.

‘Just a minute!’ The voice was about three octaves higher than Laura was accustomed to. She shared a raised eyebrow with Carmilla. ‘LaFontaine, could you serve, please? I’m in the middle of taking stock back here.’

Another redhead emerged from behind a shelf covered in weird jars. Laura didn’t want to know about whatever was in them.

‘Hi!’ They said, rubbing their hands on their jeans. ‘Welcome to The Magick Shoppe, I’ll be your server today, my name is-‘

‘Yeah,’ Carmilla said, cutting them off, ‘don’t worry about doing the bit. My name is Officer Karnstein and this is my associate, Officer Hollis.’ Laura narrowed her eyes. ‘We’re from the 307 precinct, and we’d like to ask you a few questions.’

The woman from the back room came speeding out, narrowly avoiding knocking over a bottle of – newt eyes, maybe? Laura didn’t know that much about the occult.

‘My name is Lola Perry, this is my business and life partner, LaFontaine.’ She shook Laura and Carmilla’s hands with a little too much fervor. ‘What can we help you with today?’

Laura started talking before Carmilla could open her mouth. ‘We have some photographs we’d like you to look at.’ She fumbled around inside of her bag, withdrawing four pictures. She laid them out across the desk. ‘Do you recognise any of these women?’

They both examined the photographs. LaFontaine spoke first. ‘This one,’ they said, holding up the photograph of the latest vic, ‘she was in here yesterday.’

‘Do you remember what she bought?’ Carmilla asked.

Lola began typing on the computer sitting on the desk. ‘Yes, I’ve got her order here; canary feathers, essence of rosethorn, skink root-‘

‘I don’t speak magic.’ Laura interjected. ‘What does it mean?’

‘It means she was casting a love spell.’ Carmilla said. Laura turned to face her, confused. ‘Believe it or not, there are some fields I know more about than you. Magic is one of them.’

Laura swallowed the words she wanted to say and turned back to the shopkeepers. ‘Would you be able to provide us with a record of all of your customers from the last two weeks?’

They shared a look. After a short pause, Lola spoke. ‘I don’t think that would be a problem at all.’

 

Carmilla was flipping through the paperwork the shopkeepers provided on the walk back to the car. ‘I don’t like this,’ she said.

‘You don’t like something? I’m shocked.’

‘Something was off in there. There was a vibe.’

Laura snorted. ‘A vibe is not a reasonable enough excuse to be casting suspicions. Were we looking at the same people? They were like a little old married couple.’

‘Yeah. Couples commit crimes together all the time.’

Laura snatched the paperwork out of her hand. ‘You’re not in the big city anymore, Karnstein. Silas is a good town. Good people live here.’

‘Yeah, the kind of good people that abduct girls right out of their bedrooms.’ She snatched the papers back.

‘Not my point.’ She took a breath. ‘All I’m saying is, you can’t go around accusing anybody that gives you a “bad vibe”. There aren’t a bunch of bad guys lying around in plain sight here. You need to get out of that headspace.’

‘I don’t _need_ to do anything.’ Carmilla shot back. ‘I was sent here because you need me on this case. You and your little scaredy-cat partner couldn’t crack it, so they had to send in the big guns. Here I am, so how about you shut up and listen to me?’

Laura was moving before she even knew what she was doing. Her fist collided with Carmilla’s cheek, sending her reeling. When she turned back to face Laura, her fangs were out. Her _fangs_. Laura couldn’t believe her eyes.

‘You’re a vampire? They sent me a vampire? Are they out of their fucking minds?’

Carmilla retracted her fangs. ‘What? That’s a problem for you?’

‘Yeah, that’s a problem for me! I can’t rely on a vampire to watch my back. I can’t trust you. I can’t believe this.’

‘You can’t trust me? You don’t know a god damn thing about me!’

‘You’re right! I don’t! For all I know, you’re behind these disappearances!’

This time Carmilla was the one swinging. She caught Laura on the mouth, and it _hurt._ She threw the papers at Laura. ‘Solve this shit yourself.’ She disappeared in a puff of black smoke.

‘It’s illegal to teleport without permission from the chief!’ Laura yelled. Nobody was there to hear her. She raised a tentative hand to her mouth. That was gonna leave a mark. She picked up the papers from the ground and made her way to the car. Someone had to bring something back to Danny, and she wanted to talk to her about Carmilla.

 

‘A vampire?’

Danny looked up from her desk. ‘Excuse me?’

‘You assigned me a _vampire_ as my new partner?’

‘Hollis, look-‘

‘I can’t believe you! You know how I feel about vampires. A vampire almost killed me last year!’

‘And you took him down! You and Betty! You handled it.’

‘So I’m supposed to just “handle” this one too? Vampires are evil.’

‘You know it’s not black and white like that.’ Danny stepped out from behind her desk. ‘Carmilla is a good person. And she’s a good agent.’

‘Except she’s not a person. She doesn’t have the emotional capacity of a person. How am I supposed to trust her to watch my back on the job? Are you trying to get me killed?’

‘Laura that’s enough.’

‘It’s Hollis now, remember?’

Danny’s eyes dropped. She gave a deep sigh, and took a step closer to Laura. ‘If this is too hard for you, working for me, tell me now. I can organise for you to be transferred-‘

‘Too hard for me?’ Laura was waving her hands in the air. ‘More like too hard for you! Did you do this on purpose? To punish me?’

‘You’re being ridiculous.’

‘I’m not the one that ended a three-year relationship just to get ahead.’

Neither of them said anything. The tension between them had been building to this moment for a long time.

‘Laura, we can’t talk about this here. We can’t talk about this at all. I’m… I’m sorry.’ She reached for Laura’s hand, but Laura batted her away.

‘Don’t touch me. You don’t have that privilege anymore. I’ll see you tomorrow morning, Chief.’ Laura threw the paperwork down on to her desk and turned on her heel. 

Carmilla was waiting outside of the door. ‘Trouble in paradise? Gosh, Hollis, I thought you were so by the books. Wouldn’t have picked you as the kind of girl that screws her boss.’

‘Fuck off, Karnstein.’

Laura stormed out of the office before Carmilla could respond. She walked home in the rain.

 

She wished she hadn’t finished off that bottle of wine last night. These last few days had been hell, and she didn’t have anyone to talk to about it. Laura wiped a tear away before it had the chance to fall. She wouldn’t let herself cry over this. On the other side of the room, her laptop lit up. She checked her watch. It was midnight. Who was messaging her this late? She crossed the room and clicked in to the conversation. Her eyes widened. It was from an anonymous source. _320 Brunswick Street. 1am. Come alone. I know where Sarah Jane is._ Laura stared at the screen. Sarah Jane - the fourth and most recent victim. She grabbed her phone, and she paused. Calling Betty was like a reflex. She considered calling Carmilla for a moment. No. It would be safer to go alone. Laura pulled a coat on and headed out of the door.

 

Laura climbed out of her car with her hand on her gun. The street was abandoned. Light rain was falling. She closed the door and locked the car. 

She called out. ‘Hello?’ No response. She unholstered her gun. Something was gleaming up ahead. She narrowed her eyes. The light from the lamppost was reflecting off of something. She took a few steps toward it. The clicking of her shoes echoed against the asphalt. Her breath was steaming in front of her. It started moving. Laura aimed her gun. ‘Come out!’ She called. It was moving toward her. Fast. ‘Back up!’ Laura yelled. It kept coming. ‘Back up or I’ll shoot!’ 

A Gavrok demon emerged from the darkness. Its horns were stained with blood. Laura fired two shots but it kept coming. She emptied the barrel in to its chest but it barely slowed down. She started running. Gavroks are twice the size of a full-grown gorilla and three times as mean. If it caught up to her, it would kill her. It chased her down the length of the street. Her feet were pounding against the ground, pushing her forward as fast as she could go. It was getting closer. She darted in to an alleyway. It was a dead end. She couldn’t scale the wall. There wasn’t any time. The Gavrok started closing in on her. She closed her eyes, bracing herself for the attack. A swirl of black smoke appeared in front of her. The demon shrieked and collapsed. Laura fell back, chest heaving and heart racing. ‘Karnstein?’

Carmilla was standing in front of her with a bloodied sword in her hand. She wiped it across her leg and sheathed it behind her back. ‘Hey, cutie.’ She offered Laura her hand and she took it.

Laura stared at her. ‘How did you know I was here?’

Carmilla knelt down to inspect the demon’s body. ‘I could smell your fear.’ She looked up to meet Laura’s perturbed gaze. ‘Relax. I’m staying nearby. It wasn’t hard to pick up the scent. I was out walking.’

‘Yeah I guess this is like breakfast time for you.’

‘Well it was almost dinner time for this guy before I swooped in and saved your ungrateful ass.’

Laura smiled. ‘Thank you, Carmilla.’

She smiled too. ‘You’re welcome, Laura.’ She prodded the body. ‘Look at this.’ 

Laura knelt down beside her. The demon had a white scar on its chest in the shape of a triangle. ‘What does that mean?’ Laura asked.

‘It means he was summoned. Someone was controlling this guy.’

Laura hung her head. ‘I walked right in to a trap. I wasn’t even thinking. I could have killed us both.’

Carmilla placed her hand on Laura’s shoulder. ‘Sometimes great agents don’t think; they act. And you’re never in danger so long as I’m around. So just call me next time, okay?’

She looked in to Carmilla’s eyes. ‘I will. I promise.’

The next morning when Carmilla walked in to the office, Laura was waiting with a cup of coffee... and a cup of blood.


	2. Stakeout

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Laura and Carmilla work together to uncover a new suspect, and without Danny's knowledge, they decide to check them out themselves. 
> 
> A stakeout leads to a few revelations, and Laura realises she may be more attracted to Carmilla than she thought.

Laura went to take another sip from her drink, but it was cold. She’d been staring at these papers for hours and wasn’t any closer to figuring it all out. If she hadn’t been a regular here for years, this café probably would have kicked her out three hours ago. She’d taken up an entire booth in the corner and her files were sprawled all over it. The four photos of the missing girls sat in front of her, mocking her.

After trudging back in to Danny’s office post demon attack, she’d gone through the paperwork the shopkeepers had provided and discovered that all four of the victims had visited The Magick Shoppe one day before disappearing. They had all purchased the same ingredients, which according to Carmilla, could be used to conjure up a love spell. This was as far as they’d gotten in the case. Laura leant back and rubbed her eyes. She needed to crack this case; not just for those girls, but also to prove that she could do it without Betty. 

Funnily enough, Carmilla was proving to be a pretty good replacement. She was still rude. And too presumptuous. And her faux flirting had increased since she’d saved Laura’s neck last night… but maybe that last one didn’t bother her as much as it should. 

The whole saving her life thing had caused Laura to view her partner in a new light. Now that she wasn’t blinded with rage every time she looked at her she was noticing things. Like the way Carmilla would scrunch up her face while she was reading paperwork. Or the way her eyes would burn in to Laura whenever she was listening to her speak – like she was hanging on every word. When they were going over the files last night, Laura had leant back to rub her eyes, and Carmilla had brushed her hand up her arm. It had been surprisingly relaxing.

Laura shook it off. She wasn’t going to confuse being grateful to Carmilla with having feelings for her. After all, she didn’t even know her. A voice broke her train of thought.

‘Long day, cutie?’ Carmilla slid in beside her, brushing back a pile of papers so that she could rest her cup of blood on the table.

Laura glanced at the cup. ‘Where’s mine, partner?’

Carmilla gestured to the collection of empty cups on top of the table. ‘I think you’ve had enough coffee for one day.’ She leant over to scoop up the mugs and paused. ‘This isn’t even coffee, this is hot chocolate. Hollis, you big softie.’

Laura snatched one of the mugs away from her. ‘I’m off duty.’

‘If you’re off duty why have you been sitting in this café since ten this morning?’

Laura didn’t bother to ask how she knew that. Carmilla had her methods. Danny had given her the afternoon off because she was _‘Working the case too hard. Take a breather, Hollis.’_ But she couldn’t relax. If Danny’s pattern was accurate, they had less than forty-eight hours left to figure out who the next victim would be before they get taken.

‘We’re missing something.’ Laura said. She passed some papers over to Carmilla. ‘Why love spells? What are the chances that all of these girls wanted love spells? Why is that significant? It’s not a coincidence.’

‘Probably not, but those brain-dead shopkeepers aren’t going to shed any light on it for us. They didn’t even remember the first three victims.’

‘We need to see that security footage again.’ Laura started collecting the papers and shoving them in to a file.

‘Danny’s got that tape locked up in evidence, and she’s not going to sign it out for you. This is your afternoon off, remember?’

‘Yeah, my afternoon off, but not yours.’

Carmilla raised an eyebrow. ‘So last night I save your life, and now you’re asking me for another favour?’

‘What are partners for?’ Laura grinned. Carmilla frowned. ‘Oh, come on! I promise I’ll make it worth your while.’ The look on Carmilla’s face made Laura’s ears turn pink.

‘You owe me, Hollis.’

‘I’ll do all your paperwork for a month.’

Carmilla slid out of the booth and extended her hand to help Laura out. ‘No, I think I’ll decide how you can make it up to me.’

Laura took her hand, but let go of it as soon as she was out of her chair. The colour on her ears was threatening to spread to her cheeks, but she wouldn’t let it. She glanced back at the pile of empty cups at the recently vacated booth. Maybe she’d had too much sugar today.

 

Laura sat impatiently in her living room. She’d had two more cups of hot chocolate since coming home three hours ago, and now her hands were twitching. Carmilla had agreed to go down to the office, convince Danny to sign out the footage, and then bring it by her place to go over it together. 

When she first came home, she’d tidied the place up. Not that she cared what Carmilla thought of her apartment. It had nothing to do with Carmilla. She just felt like cleaning. Laura glanced at the clock on her wall. Her fingers tapped against the table and she finished off the last of her cocoa. Her eyes kept flicking toward her phone. Any moment, she was sure Danny was going to call and chew her out for thinking she wouldn’t know Carmilla was getting the tape for her. She swallowed. The phone beside her door buzzed and startled her.

She picked up the receiver. ‘Hello?’ 

‘I’m here for our movie date.’

Laura rolled her eyes and hung up. She pressed the button beside her phone, letting Carmilla in to the building. The empty mug of hot chocolate was still sitting on the table. She quickly grabbed it and rinsed it in the sink. The last thing she needed was a lecture on the ramifications of consuming too much sugar. There was a soft knock at her door. Laura opened it. ‘What, no flowers?’ She teased.

‘Flowers are for wooing.’ Carmilla said as she breezed past her. ‘Inviting me over on the first date? I’d say you’re already a sure thing.’

Laura shut the door. ‘All right, Prince Charming. Did you get the tape?’

Carmilla held up a paper envelope. ‘Lawrence wants it back first thing tomorrow morning.’

Laura stifled a squeal – not very professional – and snatched it from Carmilla’s hand, who took a seat on the recliner while she slid the disc in to her laptop. Four files popped up, one for each day that the victims visited. Laura sat down on the lounge and clicked in to the first file. It was buffering.

Carmilla was looking around her apartment. ‘I’ve gotta say, this place seems a little too cutesy for you.’ 

It wasn’t like it was full of teddy bears, but she had to admit, it was a little “feminine” – whatever that meant. It wasn’t cluttered, Laura liked a lot of space, but there were a lot of knick-knacks. Most of them had belonged to Laura’s mother before she’d died. Carmilla rose from the lounge and strode across the room to her fireplace. She picked up a framed photo of Laura as a toddler and held it up. ‘Cute frilly dress, buttercup.’

Laura snorted. ‘Like you were any different when you were a kid.’

Carmilla’s eyes dropped and she placed it back on the mantle. ‘I wouldn’t know. There aren’t any photos of me as a child.’ Laura opened her mouth to say something, but Carmilla continued. ‘Now _this_ is interesting.’ She pulled a book from the shelf. Laura’s cheeks went bright red. Carmilla strolled over and sat next to her on the lounge. ‘The Female Orgasm: a Guide to Sexual Intimacy After Marriage,’ she read aloud.

Laura snatched it away from her. If she knew that inviting her new partner over would have elicited this much embarrassment, she wouldn’t have done it. ‘It was a gag gift.’

‘From _who?’_ Carmilla snorted.

‘A friend.’

‘Does this friend know you’re not married?’

Laura reached over and placed the book on her coffee table. ‘I was engaged once.’

The smile slid off Carmilla’s face. Laura looked away from her. After a beat, she spoke again. ‘So was I, a long time ago. Shit happens, right?’

Laura laughed. That was pretty much her motto these days. 

Carmilla picked up her yellow pillow and rolled her eyes. ‘I can’t believe tough-as-nails Officer Hollis has this thing in her home. Do you have a split personality or what?’

‘Have you looked around our department? You, Danny and I are the _only_ female agents. And Danny had to work her ass off to make chief. It’s a sad fact, Karnstein, but I have to act a certain way at work to be taken seriously.’

Carmilla didn’t respond, but she squeezed the pillow against her chest. The video finally started playing. Carmilla settled in a little closer to her. Laura cleared her throat. Carmilla was teasing her because she knows she’s gay. Too bad she doesn’t find her attractive.

It took two and a half hours to go through the security footage, but it was worth it when Carmilla discovered something. On each day, the same man had been browsing through the store. He’d always walk in a few minutes before the girls did, and then he would leave as soon as they entered the shop. It was an extremely slim lead, but a lead nonetheless. 

‘Let’s go find him.’ Carmilla said.

Laura slid the laptop off of her and shook her head. ‘We can’t even see his face properly. He’s looking away from the camera in every shot. How are we going to find him?’

Carmilla picked up the laptop and stared at the screen. She pressed play, and after a few seconds, the corner of her mouth lifted in to a smile.

‘Why do you have that look on your face?’ Laura asked. Carmilla spun the laptop around so that the screen was facing her. ‘Yeah, I’ve been watching. Remember five seconds ago when I was watching?’

‘Look harder, dimwit. Anything seem familiar?’ 

She stared at the screen, unsure of what she was supposed to be looking for. When it became evident that she wasn’t going to say anything, Carmilla rolled her eyes and spoke. ‘Think back to yesterday.’

The harder she stared, the more it just seemed like a bunch of pixels. Maybe Carmilla had special vampire vision or something.

 _‘The logo,_ Hollis. Jesus, I thought you were supposed to be a detective.’

That’s when it clicked. It was that guy that’d pulled his cap down over his eyes and left the store when they walked in. The clip was paused as he was turning, and she could just make out the logo on his hat.

‘So now what, we go to every store in town that sells ugly green caps and ask for a list of names?’

‘Or I track his scent to his apartment and we check it out.’

Laura raised an eyebrow. ‘His _scent?_ How could you possibly remember what he smells like?’

‘The guy had a distinctive smell, what do you want me to say?’

Laura found herself thinking back to last night when Carmilla had tracked her down. She wondered how she did that, considering that she didn’t even wear perfume. Did she have a distinctive smell too?

Carmilla was already on her feet and heading toward the door when she spoke. ‘Are you coming, Hollis?’

 

It had taken her all of five minutes to pick up the guy’s scent. They’d driven around town in Laura’s car with the window down until Carmilla had started directing her. A comment about Carmilla looking like a dog with its head out of the window had earned her a sharp jab to the ribs, and now they were sitting with the headlights off in front of his house. It had been more than an hour without any movement.

‘Are you sure this is even his house?’ Laura asked.

Carmilla leaned the seat back and put her feet up on the dash. ‘Yes, Hollis, I’m sure. I can smell him all over this place. Have a little patience, he’ll show.’

Laura reached over and shoved the seat back up. ‘Get your filthy boots off of there.’

‘Hey, I’m just trying to get comfortable. We could be in for a long night.’

Laura groaned. She couldn’t turn the radio on. She couldn’t turn the light on and read. She just had to sit in the dark with Carmilla. The street was dead silent. Most of the residents were probably already asleep. She could hear Carmilla breathing beside her. Did vampires need to breathe?

‘So,’ Carmilla said, breaking the silence, ‘what’s with you and Chief _Danny?’_

Laura’s body tensed up and she clenched her jaw. ‘That’s none of your business.’

‘Oh, come on, cutie. We could be sitting here for hours. It’s story time.’

A bat flapped past the streetlamp. Laura’s eyes followed it until it disappeared in to the shadows. She sighed. There was nothing else to do. ‘Tell you what,’ she said as she turned to face Carmilla, ‘if you answer my question, I’ll answer yours.’

Carmilla cocked an eyebrow. ‘I’m listening.’

‘Why were you willing to leave your department? You’ve done nothing but complain since you got here. If you didn’t wanna come to a small town, why’d you leave the city?’

The look on Carmilla’s face wasn’t playful anymore. It was almost pained. ‘Remember when I told you I was engaged?’ Laura nodded. ‘Well, it was a long time ago. Ten years.’ Laura was about to say that she must have been a kid when she remembered that, duh, she was a vampire. ‘I’d met them during an undercover gig. We were together for four years before we got engaged.’ She lifted up her hand. There was no ring on it. ‘Clearly, things didn’t go as planned.’

‘He left you?’

Carmilla looked confused for a moment. ‘No. She died.’

She. Laura blinked. Carmilla was gay? Bisexual?

‘There was this psycho running around that kind of had it in for me. They couldn’t get their hands on me, so they went after Ell. By the time I got there, it was too late.’

Laura’s stomach dropped. She hadn’t meant to open up this wound. She felt guilty.

‘Ever since then, the city’s just kind of been painful for me. But I had to wait for the right opportunity before I could leave. And when my department received your file, I read it, and I asked to be transferred.’

The silence stretched out between the two of them. Laura didn’t know how to feel. For starters, she was a little shocked to find out that Carmilla wasn’t straight. Secondly, she felt horrible for causing her to reveal such an intimate detail about her life. And thirdly, if she was being honest, she felt a little flattered. 

‘I’m sorry.’ It was the only thing she could think to say.

‘Don’t be. It was a long time ago.’ A few moments of silence, and then she continued. ‘So, tell me about you and Chief Lawrence.’

Laura reached beneath her seat and pulled out a bottle of water. After taking a sip, she offered it to Carmilla, who turned it down.

‘You don’t drink anything other than blood?’ Laura asked.

‘I do, I just don’t want your lukewarm car water.’

Laura rolled her eyes, and then she told her everything. She’d met Danny her first week on the job. She was so nervous, and besides herself and Betty, Danny was the only other woman in the department. She was older than Laura, and much more experienced, but they’d hit it off immediately. For the first month or so, they would meet up for coffee, and Danny would act as her mentor. Then they started meeting at Danny’s apartment to go over case files together. One night, while they’d been doing paperwork, Danny’s hand had drifted down to rest on Laura’s thigh, and they’d kissed. Laura started coming by almost every day, and then eventually, she started spending the night. The rest was history.

Of course, there were strict rules about interdepartmental relationships, so they'd kept theirs a secret. After two and a half years, Danny proposed, and Laura said yes. They were ready to announce it to their superiors when Danny received a phone call. The chief was retiring, and he’d named Danny as his replacement. Suddenly, their relationship was standing in the way of her career. Laura had told her that she needed to choose, and she had, and that was the end.

When she finished speaking, Carmilla was staring at her. ‘Is that why you’re such a hard ass now?’

Laura couldn’t help but laugh, because it was a little true. ‘I am who I need to be to get the job done.’

Carmilla turned and kept her eyes trained straight ahead. ‘I’m sorry.’ 

‘Don’t be.’ Laura glanced back out at the house. It was still pitch black. She groaned. ‘Where is this guy?’

‘How many things are there to even do in this town? Is he skipping rocks on a pond or something?’

Laura rolled her eyes. She reached across Carmilla – who took a sudden intake of breath – and opened her glove box. She pulled out a cookie and took a bite.

‘Did you actually pack snacks for this stakeout?’ Carmilla asked.

‘I’ve always got cookies in the car. Did you want one?’

Carmilla shuffled around in her seat so that she was facing her. ‘No thanks, unless you’ve got a packet of blood in there, I’m not interested.’

She frowned. ‘Have you eaten today?’

‘No.’

Laura’s hand shot to her neck. The movement was involuntary, and it didn’t go unnoticed by Carmilla.

‘I guess there is blood in the car.’ She grinned.

‘Don’t even think about biting me, Karnstein. I’ve got a taser in that glove box.’

Carmilla barked out a laugh. ‘What’s the matter, scared you might like it?’

She was glad that her face was hidden by shadows because she could feel her cheeks burning. They shouldn’t have started sharing personal stories. She’d made herself vulnerable – which was something she’d sworn to never do again after Danny.

‘Somehow, the idea of my throat being punctured doesn’t sound that appealing.’

Carmilla stared straight ahead as she spoke. ‘Have you ever been bitten?’

Laura thought back to last year when she and Betty had taken out that hostile vampire. He’d managed to sink his teeth in to her arm, but lost his head a moment after doing so. Still, she remembered what it felt like, and it hurt.

She lifted her arm up for Carmilla to examine. Her cold hand wrapped around it as she observed the two white scars just below her elbow.

‘Barely a nip.’ Carmilla said.

‘Yeah, well, it still hurt.’

Carmilla’s hand lingered on her arm. ‘It wouldn’t hurt if I did it.’

Laura didn’t attempt to pull her arm away. She was intrigued. After all, Carmilla was the first vampire she’d ever had a real conversation with. ‘It wouldn’t hurt if you _bit_ me and drank my _blood?_ You might need to rethink that logic.’

Her hand slid up Laura’s arm and came to rest on her throat, leaving a trail of gooseflesh in its wake. ‘Here,’ she said as she ran her fingers along a vein on her throat, ‘this is where most vampires will bite their victims.’ Laura tried to steady her breathing. She hoped Carmilla couldn’t hear how fast her heart was beating. ‘But I’ve never been one to follow trends.’ She leaned in a little closer as she lightly ran her fingers along her throat. ‘But here,’ she pressed against Laura’s pulse point, ‘this is where I would bite you.’ Laura swallowed. She could see that Carmilla’s fangs were out, and she’d read enough about vampires to know what that meant. Carmilla was either in predator mode, or she was aroused. It was probably a bad thing that neither option really bothered her. 

The leather seat squeaked as Carmilla shifted her whole body forward. She was only centimeters away from her face. ‘Everything in your body is connected.’ She moved her other hand so that it was also resting on her throat. ‘The right stimulation here,’ she started moving her hand down, ‘can travel through your entire body,’ her fingers grazed down Laura’s stomach, ‘and end up here.’ Her hand flitted away before it reached a compromising position. Laura’s whole body was on fire. Carmilla’s remaining hand tightened around the back of Laura’s neck and tilted her head back. Laura didn’t stop her. She didn’t want to. ‘So if I were to bite you, and you were willing,’ her mouth started drifting closer to her throat, ‘it wouldn’t hurt.’

Laura was caught up in a strange euphoria. Had she always wondered what it would be like to have a vampire drink your blood? Yes. Had she imagined it would cause this hot ache between her legs? No. But in this moment, Carmilla was intoxicating. And she found herself wanting to be devoured. 

Carmilla’s head snapped back. ‘Well, would you look at that?’

Laura turned to follow her gaze. A man was moving toward the house. She narrowed her eyes – he had something in his arms. Something big.

‘What the hell is he carrying?’ Laura asked.

Carmilla’s face hardened. All of the previous sexual tension evaporated as quickly as it came. ‘He’s got a girl.’ She moved to open the car door, but Laura’s hand shot out to stop her.

‘Think for a second! If we go charging at him now, he’s going to see us coming from a hundred feet away. Just wait a moment.’

Carmilla leaned back against the seat and folded her arms. A light flicked on inside of the house. After a few minutes, Laura silently signaled for Carmilla to get out of the car. They moved behind the house. Laura withdrew her gun. She reached out and grabbed the doorknob. Carmilla nodded, and very carefully, Laura began twisting it. The door drifted open. Carmilla signaled for Laura to move in first. Laura motioned for her to pull out her weapon, but Carmilla shook her head. She raised a hand and tapped at her fangs. Right. She already had her weapon.

Soft music was coming from inside the house. Laura edged forward and Carmilla followed behind her. A large book was sitting on a coffee table. Carmilla picked it up and her eyes grew wide. She motioned for Laura to look at it. When she did, her stomach dropped. It was a magic book, and the whole page was taken up by a drawing. It was the symbol that had been carved in to the Gavrok demon’s chest. They split apart. Laura slid around the wall with her weapon raised. The music was growing louder. Someone too tall to be Carmilla stepped in front of her. They were silhouetted against the light.

‘Police! Hands up!’ Laura yelled. 

The person darted away. Carmilla came flying from around the corner so fast that Laura’s eyes could barely follow her. Together, they chased the person down the hall. They spun, and Laura could see now that it was a very tall man in a baseball cap.

‘It’s him!’ Carmilla’s voice came from her left.

He attempted to shove Laura to the side, but she caught his arm in her hands and pulled him to the ground.

‘Where are the girls?’ Laura screamed.

‘I don’t know what you’re talking about!’ He yelled back.

Laura struck him. His hand shot up and caught her in the mouth. Carmilla started forward, but Laura stopped her. ‘Find the victim! Go now!’ She hesitated for a moment, but then disappeared down the hall.

The man tried to knock Laura off of her feet. She kept her balance, and brought the butt of her gun down against his head. He was out cold. Laura took a few steps back and caught her breath. She turned to meet the sound of Carmilla shuffling toward her.

‘Have you got them?’

Her heart dropped at the sight before her. Carmilla was clinging to a garbage bag full of clothing. This wasn’t their guy.

 

Danny paced back and forth. She threw a file down on the table. ‘Brody Kirsch. College student. Captain of the football team.’

Laura hung her head. After they’d realised what they’d done, Laura had told Carmilla to get out of there. A strike this early in her career at the department could have resulted in another transfer. She’d tried to argue, but Laura insisted. After Carmilla left, she called it in. Danny was beyond furious.

‘This guy’s a nobody! He’s just some football jock that _happened_ to be in that magic store, and you busted in to his home and assaulted him!’

‘I told you, it looked like he was carrying a victim.’

‘Oh!’ Danny’s voice had reached a whole new level of sarcasm. ‘It looked like he was doing something bad? Great! That will hold up in court!’

Laura looked up to meet her eyes. ‘Court?’

Danny sighed and sat down in her chair. ‘No, Hollis, relax. He’s not pressing charges. And you’re damn lucky. No warrant. No proof. You can’t just label someone as a suspect based on circumstantial evidence. What the hell were you thinking?’

‘I was thinking that I was about to save some poor girl’s life.’

‘Well you didn’t. Instead, you’ve just made my life more difficult. I have to explain this to my superiors and cover your ass.’

Laura opened her mouth to argue, but Danny raised her hand, silencing her. ‘I don’t want to hear it.’ She took a long breath and looked away. ‘You’re off the case. Indefinitely.’

It felt like someone had just punched her in the face. _‘What?_ Danny, no, come on. You can’t -' 

‘Go home, Laura. Take the weekend off. I’ll see you on Monday and assign you a new case.’

Laura walked out of the office. She stormed past the other agents and headed straight for the elevator. She punched in the ground floor button and leant back against the wall. As the doors were closing, Kirsch appeared in the office, being lead by two other officers. Their eyes met. His mouth twisted in to a smile, and he winked. The doors slammed shut.


	3. Argentum

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Despite the fact that Laura has been ordered off the case, she and Carmilla work together to uncover something that puts someone they know in danger.

It was one day in to her suspension and Laura was already going mad. The fact that Danny had benched her for an entire weekend was unbelievable – and considering that another victim could go missing tomorrow, her removal from the case altogether was absurd.

She tipped a little more Kahlua in to her mug of hot chocolate. The whole day had been spent lying on her couch with no pants on and watching old re-runs of Law and Order SVU. Occasionally she would yell at the screen about how Munch was clearly a Karrich demon in disguise. 

Danny would call her up at any moment and apologise. Nobody else in the department could crack that case. Not that she’d cracked it yet, but maybe she could if _Chief Lawrence_ would stop getting in her way. She glanced at her phone. Yeah. Any moment now.

Laura drained the last of her drink and set the mug down on the table. The soft light of the lingering sunset was quickly disappearing behind the purple mountains surrounding Silas. She rose from the couch and made her way to the balcony. Cold air blasted in to her apartment as she wrenched the glass door open. It was refreshing. Calming. Laura sat down on the cold tiles and looked up at the sky. A few pale stars were flickering in to existence.

She could hear her father’s voice echoing in her head. 

_You drink too much since Danny left you._

_Don’t mope, Laura. It’s your own fault for being too hasty. Look before you leap._

_Your mother would be so disappointed._

Her sigh misted in front of her. The last few strands of orange sunshine vanished and left a cool blue light in their wake. She breathed in. The icy air circled inside her chest and slowed her heart rate down. 

She didn’t really remember her mother. She’d died when Laura was six. An “accident” they’d called it. But she’d always suspected something else.

The older she got, the hazier her memory became. Her mother would come to her in pieces now. Blonde hair. Brown eyes. A warm smile. Soft hands. Laura closed her eyes. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t remember the sound of her voice anymore. She could barely remember what her mother was like. But she really hoped that she was proud of her – despite what her father would say. Some days it was hard to not hate him.

The phone for her apartment buzzed. Laura didn’t move to answer it. It was probably a kid trying to sell chocolates for a fundraiser or something. They got a lot of that this time of year.

It buzzed again. Laura groaned and walked back inside her apartment. She picked up the receiver, ‘What?’

‘That’s no way to answer your door, Hollis.’

She wasn’t sure if she was happy or annoyed to hear Carmilla’s voice on the other end.

‘What do you want, Karnstein?’

The sound of Carmilla audibly clicking her tongue echoed through the earpiece. ‘I thought I’d check up on you.’

‘I’m fine.’

‘Did you want some company up there?’

‘No.’

‘I brought vodka.’

After a brief pause, Laura pressed down and buzzed her in to the building. She hung the phone up, unlocked her door, and walked back out to the balcony. A few more stars were shimmering in the sky now. She wondered which one her mother was looking down at her from.

She heard Carmilla before she saw her. Her boots clicked against the floorboards inside her apartment. The sound of glasses clinking together echoed from the kitchen. Laura glanced up in time to see Carmilla stepping outside.

‘Yeah, you look fine.’ Her voice had taken on that irritating sarcastic tone. ‘Where are your pants?’

Laura shrugged and she turned back to look at the sky. She felt Carmilla slide down beside her.

‘You’ve got a nice view out here.’

Again, Laura didn’t respond.

‘Listen, cupcake, Danny’s call was totally –‘

‘You said there’d be vodka.’ Laura interrupted. She didn’t want to talk about Danny.

Carmilla smiled and pulled the bottle out from her handbag. She placed two of Laura’s glasses in front of them and filled them up halfway. Laura picked one up and took a sip. The alcohol burned her throat. It felt good.

The sky was pitch black now. Carmilla took a sip of her own drink. ‘You like the stars, I take it?’

Laura sucked her bottom lip in to her mouth. ‘I guess. Who doesn’t like the stars?’

‘I meant do you like the constellations?’

‘I don’t know any constellations.’ She narrowed her eyes at the sky and raised a finger to point at a small grouping of stars. ‘That kind of looks like a kite.’

Carmilla laughed. ‘That’s Aquila.’

‘A-whatta?’

She slumped down so that they were even. ‘It’s the celestial eagle. See here?’ Her finger traced through the air. ‘That’s the wing.’

Laura scrunched her face up. ‘I don’t see it.’

Carmilla took another sip from her drink before pointing at another part of the sky. ‘What about there, what do you see?’

It took a moment for Laura’s eyes to focus. She’d already consumed half of her glass, and on top of the spiked hot chocolates she’d had earlier, she was feeling a little light headed. ‘A slingshot.’

‘Close.’

‘Really?’

‘No.’

Laura laughed.

Carmilla raised her hand to draw invisible pictures in the air again. ‘That’s Cygnus. It’s a swan, see? That’s its tail,’ her finger ran along in a straight line, ‘and that’s its head. Cygnus flies along the summer Milky Way.’

‘How do you know so much about this sort of junk?’

‘Immortality is boring. I learn as much as I can about the things I find interesting.’

‘And you find stars interesting?’

‘Don’t you?’

Laura finished her drink. ‘I guess I never really thought about them beyond “ooh, pretty”.’

Carmilla laughed again. It was a low sound in her chest. Kind of soothing.

‘Some things have more to offer the world than just their beauty.’

Laura sat up straight and looked down at Carmilla. ‘Are we still talking about the stars?’

Her eyes met Laura’s and there was something behind them. Vulnerability? Maybe she’d just had too much to drink, but she got the feeling that she wasn’t the only woman here who’d had to fight to be respected. She shivered.

‘You’re cold.’ Carmilla said.

‘Well, it’s cold on this balcony.’

‘Not for me.’

‘Yeah, well you’re a vampire.’

‘I’ve also got pants on.’

Carmilla stood up and disappeared inside. After a few moments, she stepped back out on to the balcony with a blanket in her hands. She fluttered it over Laura and sat back down.

‘You don’t want some of the blanket?’ Laura asked as she lifted the corner.

Carmilla raised an eyebrow. ‘You want me under there with you?’

She dropped the blanket and frowned. ‘I was just being polite.’ She put her empty glass in front of Carmilla.

‘How much have you had to drink today?’

‘Not enough.’

Carmilla unscrewed the top of the bottle and poured in more vodka. This time she filled it to the brim and then did the same with her own glass. 

‘He’s out there right now,’ Laura looked out over the streets shrouded in darkness, ‘this creep that’s taking these girls. He’s somewhere in _my_ city.’

‘And we’ll get him.’ Carmilla sipped her drink. 

‘You might, if Danny assigns you a different partner to work the case with.’

Carmilla snorted. ‘She can try. I won’t work with anyone other than you.’

‘Am I growing on you, Karnstein?’

‘Yeah. Like a small fungus.’

Laura shoved her. Some of Carmilla’s drink sloshed out of her glass. 

‘Hey! This was expensive.’

She tipped some of her own drink in to Carmilla’s glass – which proved to be a difficult feat considering how much her hand was shaking. Carmilla’s eyes watched the movement.

‘Still cold?’ She asked.

Laura shrugged. The breeze had picked up and was lightly tossing her hair around her shoulders. ‘A bit. I’m fine.’

‘Did you want me to go and get you a jacket from inside?’

Laura bit her lip. Carmilla was being strangely chivalrous tonight. ‘No. Thank you.’

After a beat, Carmilla spoke. ‘All right, make room.’ She picked up the corner of the blanket and shuffled over so that their shoulders were touching. Laura lifted her bare legs and laid them across Carmilla’s lap.

‘So you are cold.’ Laura said.

‘No, I’m just trying to keep you from developing hypothermia. I’m generously donating my own body heat.’

‘You don’t have any body heat.’

Carmilla feigned offense. ‘Hey, I’m warmer than you think.’

That statement was true in more ways than one. 

Laura placed her unfinished glass on the tiles beside her. She was officially drunk now. But the warm feeling in her chest had nothing to do with the alcohol.

At this point, all of her reservations were non-existent. She rested her head on Carmilla’s shoulder. ‘Tell me more about the stars.’

Carmilla’s arm stretched out behind Laura’s back. Her hand came to rest by her waist. ‘What do you want to know?’

‘Everything.’

Her free hand rose in front of them and she pointed to a small grouping of seven stars. ‘That’s Lyra. It’s a harp.’

Laura closed her eyes. Carmilla’s fingers traced soothing circles against the side of her stomach.

‘The handle of the harp is represented by Vega – one of the brightest stars in the whole sky. It’s also home to the Ring Nebulae, which you would be able to see with binoculars, but I can see it just fine like this.’

Carmilla’s voice was dreamlike. Laura had never really appreciated how beautiful it sounded until now.

‘The lyre was invented by Hermes when he was a child by stringing a tortoise shell. When he was older he traded it to Apollo, who then passed it down to his son, Orpheus, who was a great poet and musician.’

Carmilla started describing another constellation, but Laura couldn’t remember what it was.

 

It was eleven o’clock in the morning by the time Laura awoke. The sun was truly up now and it was a little too warm in here. She rubbed her eyes. She couldn’t remember walking back to her own bed. Had Carmilla carried her? Laura shook her head. That idea was too mortifying to even entertain.

The rich smell of coffee wafted in to her bedroom. Laura sat up – a little too fast, she took a moment to blink away the sparks popping in front of her eyes – and swung her legs out. She had pajama shorts on. Oh god. Had Carmilla _dressed_ her too? Nope. Not gonna acknowledge it. She made her way out to the kitchen.

‘Good morning, Laura.’

That was new. She hadn’t called her by her first name since she’d saved her from the Gavrok demon.

Carmilla poured some coffee from the pot in to a mug and added one teaspoon of sugar. Laura took it from her gratefully and had a sip. The warmth travelled down her throat and in to her chest, breathing life in to her. She blinked. ‘I fell asleep?’

‘Out like a light.’ Carmilla walked from the kitchen to the lounge and sat on the couch. A pile of paperwork was spread out on the coffee table before her. ‘I put you to bed.’

Laura’s cheeks coloured.

Carmilla smirked. ‘Don’t worry, I’m a gentleman, I slept on the couch.’

Her yellow pillow was sitting on the armrest. It looked a little puckered.

‘I didn’t think you’d sleep at night.’

‘Normally I don’t, but after a few vodkas, I’ll sleep any time, anywhere, and occasionally with anyone.’

Laura took a seat, purposefully leaving a fair amount of space between herself and Carmilla. She made a mental note to never drink that much around her again. After a few more sips of coffee, she gestured to the papers littering her table. ‘What’s all this?’

‘It’s our case.’ Carmilla didn’t raise her eyes.

‘Carmilla, it’s not our case anymore.’ She visibly shifted at the sound of her name. ‘I’ve already bent the rules once. Danny’s word is final.’

‘Do you always do what Chief Xena tells you to?’

Laura’s mouth twitched. ‘If Danny finds out that you’re bringing me files, you’ll be suspended.’

Carmilla sat back. She turned so that they were facing. ‘And? Look, we’re partners, through and through. I came here for you, not the department.’

She felt a twinge in her chest. This partnership was bordering on something more, and Laura didn’t want to step back in to that dangerous territory. But somehow, she couldn’t tell Carmilla to leave. 

Laura became aware that Carmilla was waiting for a response. ‘Thank you.’

She rolled her eyes. ‘Enough sappy shit, get over here and take a look at this.’

Laura hesitated.

‘I don’t bite.’

‘Except that you do.’

Carmilla raised an eyebrow. ‘Not until I’m asked to.’

Her jaw clenched. Dangerous, murky, no-good territory. She shuffled a little closer, still leaving a few inches of space between them. The file Carmilla was gesturing to had a name in the top corner: Brody Kirsch.

She opened her mouth to scold her, but Carmilla interrupted her.

‘Hold that thought. Danny was wrong. This guy isn’t a nobody.’ She picked up the file and flicked through until she found the page she wanted and thrust it under Laura’s nose.

It was a jumble of scientific looking words. She sighed. She could bring a seven-foot tall man to his knees with one carefully placed strike, but she’d flunked Science in high school.

‘This doesn’t mean anything to me.’ She handed the file back to Carmilla.

‘You’ve really got to brush up on your magic knowledge, Hollis. Kirsch spent six months doing community service when he was fourteen after these magical ingredients were recovered from his locker.’

‘Why wouldn’t Danny have known that?’

‘Because his record was expunged.’

Laura raised an eyebrow. ‘Then where did you get this?’

‘I have my methods.’

Every time she said that Laura found herself thinking that these “methods” weren’t entirely legal.

‘So what, though? This is Silas. Teens experiment with magic all the time.’

‘Not this magic.’

She pulled a high lighter out of her purse and coloured a few of the words in. ‘When these six ingredients are combined, it creates a sacrificial blood stone.’

Laura’s eyes hovered over the page. She didn’t recognise any of the names. ‘And that’s bad?’

‘It’s not good.’ Carmilla said. She highlighted a few more words. ‘When you combine it with _these_ ingredients, then it becomes really bad. Like summon a Hell God bad.’

‘What kind of fourteen year old gets mixed up in something this dark?’

‘Exactly. This isn’t experimental. He knew exactly what he was doing.’

Laura frowned. ‘Why would they wipe something this serious from his record?’

‘The same reason all disgusting teenage boys get their records wiped clean, he’s a football player.’ She shuffled through the files and pulled out another piece of paper with a picture of a balding middle-aged man in the top corner. ‘The coach needed him. So he became captain, won a few championships, and bang – it was like it never happened. Then three years ago he was awarded a scholarship.’

‘To Silas U?’

‘That’s the thing,’ Carmilla’s face was scrunched up, ‘he grew up in Belgium. His scholarship was to the Catholic University of Leuven.’

‘Catholic?’ Laura chewed on her lip. ‘I can’t imagine that they would have looked too kindly on his extracurricular activities.’

‘They never had the chance to investigate him. He declined the scholarship.’

‘Why?’

‘I don’t know. He didn’t start studying here until six months ago.’

‘Who moves nine hours away from their hometown to attend a relatively obsolete university in Austria?’

‘Brody Kirsch, apparently.’

She took another sip of her coffee, carefully deliberating. This was extremely suspicious. He’d definitely summoned that Gavrok demon. But what use did he have for four girls?

‘Oh god,’ Laura said, ‘you don’t think he’s sacrificing those girls, do you?’

Carmilla shrugged. ‘I’d know if I could get a look at the ingredients he had.’

‘So we raid his place again.’

‘Can’t. He’s abandoned it.’ Laura raised an eyebrow. Carmilla smirked. ‘I may have gone back there last night before I came here.’

‘Why didn’t you tell me?’

‘I was going to, but you weren’t really in research-mode, were you? Besides, after we went out to the balcony, I forgot all about it.’

Can you will yourself to not blush? Laura was going to try anyway.

‘Right. So he’s been getting his magical mumbo jumbo from somewhere. And there’s only one place in town.’

Carmilla sighed. ‘Let’s go visit the Ginger Twins.’

 

Laura tugged her beanie a little lower over her eyes. Carmilla was driving and kept glancing over to snort at her. She’d tried to dress as inconspicuously as possible. The shopkeepers didn’t know that she’d been suspended, but it was a small town. Plus they were running the risk that new agents could be on the case and paying visits to the same location.

She pulled the car over. Laura lowered her sunglasses and peeked at the shop. A pair of schoolboys walked out of it, holding what looked like two small bricks. Carmilla laughed.

‘What?’ Laura asked.

‘That’s sandstone. It’s used for brewing basic remedies, but it can be ground up and smoked.’

Laura frowned.

‘Don’t worry; it has to be lit with dragonfire to release any of the hallucinogenic properties. They may as well be smoking basil leaves.’

She shook her head. How Carmilla could retain this much information on magic was beyond her.

‘So what are we doing again?’

‘All I need you to do is distract Dumb and Dumber while I pull up their records.’

‘You’ll be on camera.’

Carmilla smiled. ‘Don’t worry, that won’t be an issue.’

Laura adjusted her beanie one last time. ‘What if they recognise me?’

‘Laura,’ there was her name again, ‘I’ve got it covered. Trust me.’

And she did trust her, so she didn’t say anything else, even when Carmilla patted her cheek and left a smear of dirt there. She rubbed it off with the palm of her hand.

Laura went in first. That was the plan. She rung the bell at the desk, and just like last time, Perry’s bright orange hair was visible before her face was.

‘Welcome to The Magick Shoppe! You’re one-stop shop for everything occult!’ She emerged from behind one of the shelves. ‘How may I help you today?’

She strained to remember the ingredients Carmilla had told her. ‘Uh, I’m looking for a few things to brew a spell. Uh, cast a potion.’

Perry raised an eyebrow. Laura had spent six months undercover amongst a gang of trolls, but somehow she couldn’t swing this magic stuff. Embarrassing. She glanced around, but couldn’t see the other owner. She needed both of them.

‘And what “things” were you after, my dear?’

She bit the inside of her cheek and tried to not make the next sentence sound like a recital. ‘Psylis Eucalipsis Powder, Twice-Blessed Sage, Hutamin Paw, Honeyoak, and… uh…’ she could barely bring herself to say the next one, ‘a virgin’s saliva.’

Perry’s eyebrows were raised so high that they were threatening to disappear in to the locks of her hair. ‘Are you sure you can’t supply that last one yourself, dear?’

Laura’s eyebrows knitted together. She clicked her tongue. ‘No, I can’t.’ Unbelievable. She could practically hear Carmilla snickering inside her head.

She cleared her throat. ‘Have you, erm, brewed this potion before?’

They hadn’t gone over that. Laura figured it was best to play dumb. ‘No, I haven’t.’

‘I see.’ Her eyes washed over Laura for a moment before she called out for LaFontaine.

They appeared from out of the back room. Perry relayed the ingredients to them. Their eyebrows immediately rose too. ‘Oh,’ they said.

‘Yes,’ Perry replied.

Laura’s eyes travelled between the two of them. She wasn’t sure what was going on. Maybe she should have asked Carmilla what these ingredients were actually used for.

‘Follow us, Miss, we’ll get those for you right away.’ LaFontaine said.

She glanced over to the door. Carmilla hadn’t come in yet. This distraction was humiliating, she’d better get here soon.

The two owners retrieved the ingredients from several different shelves throughout the store. They began walking back to the counter. Laura looked nervously around the shop – still no sign of Carmilla.

‘That will be eighty-two dollars and seventy-five cents.’

‘Excuse me?’ Laura blinked.

LaFontaine and Perry shared a look. LaFontaine repeated the price.

Laura looked over her shoulder. No Carmilla. She was actually going to have to buy this junk. Sighing, she pulled her wallet from her pocket and handed over some notes. Something brushed against her back. She jumped.

‘Uh, are you alright Miss?’ LaFontaine asked.

Something had definitely just touched her. ‘Yes, yes I’m fine.’

Perry was bagging the ingredients. Laura felt something again – it _pinched her on the ass._

‘Hey!’ She spun around. There was nothing there.

Perry and LaFontaine looked concerned. ‘Did… did you not want these bagged?’ Perry asked.

Laura’s mouth hung open for a few seconds before she replied. ‘What? No, no that’s fine.’ She took the bag from her hands. ‘Keep the change.’

 

The car was empty. She wrenched the door open and collapsed in to the passenger seat, tossing the ingredients in to the back.

‘Boo.’

Laura leapt back so hard that her head smacked against the glass window. Carmilla appeared beside her. Literally appeared – like shimmered in to existence.

Laura rubbed the back of her head. ‘What the HELL, Carmilla?’

She laughed, but extended a hand to lightly touch her head. ‘Sorry, are you alright?’

‘I’m fine, but where the hell were you?’

‘I was inside the shop the whole time.’

Laura blinked. ‘But I didn’t see you.’

‘Nobody saw me, genius. I was invisible.’

‘That’s ridiculous.’

‘Ridiculously clever. It’s a very difficult spell to cast. I conjured up the powder this morning while you were sleeping.’ 

Laura sat back and folded her arms across her chest. ‘Well, the shopkeepers didn’t recognise me, surprisingly.’

‘Of course they didn’t.’

Laura raised an eyebrow at her.

‘Have you looked in the mirror, cupcake?’

Laura turned the rear-view mirror to face her and leapt back again. She was a completely different person.

‘What… how… what the _hell_?’ She exclaimed as she touched her face.

‘It’s a glamour.’

Of course. That wasn’t dirt that she’d wiped on to her cheek. Carmilla reached over and touched her face and it was like scales fell from her eyes. Suddenly she was herself again.

‘I could have walked around like that all day if you hadn’t told me.’

Carmilla started the car up. ‘I wouldn’t let that happen. I’d miss your pretty face.’

She pulled away from the curb and started heading back to Laura’s apartment. They drove in silence for a few moments until Laura spoke.

‘Well?’

‘Well what?’

Laura groaned. ‘Did you find out what ingredients he’d bought?’

‘His name wasn’t on the list.’

‘He probably used a pseudonym.’

‘No. The names were all legit. I checked.’

How she’d achieved all of this in the space of ten minutes was a mystery to Laura. But then again – she had her methods, didn’t she?

‘So I just spent eighty bucks on magical junk that I’ll never use for nothing?’

Carmilla grinned. ‘Nope. I went through their stock and there were a few items unaccounted for.’

‘Think he broke in and stole them?’

‘I’d be willing to bet on it.’ She threw a crumpled up piece of paper at Laura. 

She unfolded it but didn’t understand any of the names, as usual. ‘And this means what, exactly?’

‘Well I’m not entirely sure. There’s one ingredient on there I don’t recognise. We’ll look in to it back at your place.’

A few more minutes of silence.

‘Oh,’ Laura said suddenly, ‘what do the ingredients make? My ingredients, I mean, because those shopkeepers seemed a little confused.’

Carmilla burst out laughing. ‘I thought they might have that reaction,’ she said between breaths.

Laura’s face soured. ‘Why, what do they mean?’

‘Well,’ Carmilla said, still stifling laughter, ‘as far as they’re aware, you’re brewing a potion.’

‘A potion for what?’

‘If you drink it before sex, it intensifies yours and your partner’s orgasms.’

Laura punched her in the arm so hard that she almost veered off the road.

 

The kettle started whistling. Laura bustled over to remove it from the stove. She poured it in to her mug of cocoa. The microwave started beeping. She pulled out a mug of hot blood.

‘Thanks,’ Carmilla said as she took it from her, ‘you really didn’t have to get this for me.’

‘You can’t not eat, and I’m not about to be your afternoon snack.’

Carmilla’s face scrunched up in that cute way it did when she was concentrating. Well, not cute. No. Not cute. The ingredient that she couldn’t identify was called Argentum.

‘It means silver.’ Carmilla had said.

‘I know,’ Laura had replied, ‘I took Latin 101.’

That’s as much as they’d concluded. Carmilla ran a hand through her hair. Laura’s eyes lingered, following the movement. The sun had set hours ago. They’d been researching forever, but at least Carmilla hadn’t received a call from Danny. There hadn’t been a new victim tonight – yet.

‘It just doesn’t make any sense.’ She threw down the book she’d been reading. ‘The next victim could be taken at any moment, and we’ve got nothing!’ She buried her face in her hands.

Laura placed her mug on the ground and lightly touched Carmilla’s shoulder. She didn’t shrug her off. She shifted her body over and moved her hand across so that her arm was wrapped around her. Slowly, she tugged Carmilla over until she was leaning against her with her head on Laura’s shoulder.

‘It’s okay,’ Laura mumbled, ‘we’re ten times closer than we were this morning.’

She rubbed her hand over her back. Carmilla’s body relaxed at her touch. The more time she spent with her, the more Laura was willing to push the personal boundaries between them. Probably not a good idea, but she couldn’t help herself.

Carmilla sighed. ‘How do you handle living in this crazy god damn town?’

‘This is nothing.’ Laura chuckled. ‘You should stick around until the next full moon. That’s when things get crazy.’

Carmilla shot up. Laura tugged her hand away.

‘The full moon,’ she mumbled. ‘Oh my god, Laura, you’re a genius!’ She leant over and planted a kiss on her cheek. Laura’s fingers subconsciously rose to touch the spot where Carmilla’s lips had just been.

Carmilla was on her feet now, pacing back and forth. Laura watched her for a moment before speaking. ‘Wanna let me in on whatever is going on inside your head?’

‘The full moon. Werewolves, Laura. _Werewolves_. These other ingredients – they’re used to cast location spells, but the Argentum narrows it down to werewolves! He’s kidnapping werewolves!’

Laura’s heart sank. Carmilla was still talking, but it was all muffled. Her pulse was pounding in her ears. Oh god. Oh god, oh god, oh god.

‘Laura?’ Carmilla’s voice finally broke through. She was kneeling beside her. ‘Laura, what the hell is wrong?’

It took her a moment to find her voice. ‘I know who the next victim is.’ She looked up to meet her eyes. ‘It’s Danny.’

Carmilla’s face fell. She grabbed Laura’s hand and pulled her to her feet. ‘Got your gun?’ Laura nodded. ‘Hold on tight.’

She wrapped her arms around Carmilla’s waist. Her apartment disappeared in a hazy blur of smoke. She felt like her insides were being compressed. After a few seconds, streets started materialising around them. They were outside Danny’s apartment building.

‘Why didn’t you just take us inside?’

‘I can’t teleport in to people’s homes. It’s a vampire thing.’

Laura started hitting all of the buttons until someone finally buzzed them in. They skipped the elevator and ran up the stairs together. Her legs were pounding against the concrete, forcing her to clear as many steps as she could at once. They reached the fourth level and Laura hurled herself down the hallway. She stopped dead.

Danny’s door was off its hinges.

She was gone.


	4. Consequences

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Laura's determined to get Danny back, but her ambitiousness is blinding her from seeing how reckless she's being. The consequences to her actions may prove to be devastating.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Trigger Warning: There's some backstory for Danny in this chapter which involves light mentions of gore. It's very brief, I just wanted to make sure that nobody felt caught off guard and became upset.

Laura knelt down by Danny’s bed. She touched the carpet and brought back translucent yellow goo on her fingers. Other officers were sweeping the apartment and Carmilla was giving her statement in the hall. Before calling it in, they’d both decided to keep the werewolf details to themselves. Danny wasn’t registered; werewolves were considered “too unpredictable” to serve as public protectors, and if their officials found out, Danny could lose more than her job.

Her fingers traced over the pattern on the bed sheets. This is where she’d been when Danny had told her. Laura sat on the bed and closed her eyes. It had been a year since she’d stepped foot in to this bedroom, but it didn’t feel that way. She remembered everything so vividly. 

 

Danny’s hands were fumbling with the buttons on Laura’s shirt. It was all feeling a little bit rushed. This definitely wasn’t what Laura was expecting to happen when she came over tonight. Yes, they’d kissed, and yes, they spent a lot of time together, but it had never gone this far. They’d been sitting on Danny’s bed and going over case files and it had just sort of happened all at once. Both of them wanted it. Laura had wanted it for a while. But now that it was happening she was nervous, and judging from Danny’s hands she was too.

Laura’s hands rose to guide Danny’s fingers. Together, they unbuttoned her blouse and pulled it off. Laura leant back on the bed, propped up by her elbows, and watched Danny slide her jacket off. Things were slowing down now, but Laura’s heart was pounding. The black fabric of her top lifted up to reveal the pale skin of her stomach. Laura bit her lip. This was better than anything she’d imagined. Once her shirt was off entirely, Danny leant down and placed her hands behind Laura’s head, propping herself up so that their lips were inches away from each other. Laura shifted and closed the gap. The kiss was slow, soft, warm, but as their breathing grew heavier so did the kiss. Laura’s hands were sliding down to unzip Danny’s jeans when her hand came down to stop her. Danny sat up. Laura followed the movement.

‘What is it, what’s wrong?’ Laura asked, running a hand through her hair.

Danny looked away.

‘Hey,’ Laura cupped a hand over Danny’s cheek and turned her face back, ‘you can talk to me.’

She’d never looked so vulnerable. For the first time since Laura had known Danny, she didn’t look like an agent, she just looked like a girl.

‘I have to tell you something. Before we go any further. I think you deserve to know.’

Laura adjusted the falling strap of her bra and sat up straight. She took one of Danny’s hands in her own. ‘I’m listening.’

‘This – this is something that no one else knows about me. Except my mother, but, well, she’s gone now.’

On one of Laura’s many visits to her apartment, they’d opened up to each other about their mothers. Danny’s had left when she was sixteen, but Laura didn’t know why, and she hadn’t asked. She knew that Danny would tell her when she was ready. She guessed that moment might be now.

‘When I was a kid, I used to spend a lot of time outside, you know? No siblings, no real friends… I made my own adventures. My mother was the worrying type. She didn’t like the fact that I spent so much time in the woods, she’d always tell me that that’s how little girls went missing. But I was a brat. I thought I was the toughest kid in the world and nothing could hurt me, so I didn’t listen to her.’

Danny’s grip tightened on her hand.

‘When I was sixteen, I ran away. My parents had been fighting and my mother was staying at her sister’s. I was stuck at home with my dad. You know what my dad’s like; after half a bottle of rum, he’s even worse. So I took my sleeping bag and I hid in the woods.’

She paused. Laura hadn’t seen her cry before, but she could see the tears forming at the corners of her eyes. She ran her thumb along her hand and hoped she’d get the message that it was okay.

Danny continued. ‘My mother was old-school – totally in denial about all of the supernatural stuff going on in Silas, so I kind of grew up in the dark. When I saw it, I figured it was just a wolf. The biggest wolf I’d ever seen, but still a wolf. I was just a lonely teenage girl. I thought I could befriend it like in a children’s book. It was stupid. But I didn’t know any better. So I approached it, and it attacked me.’

Her hand was trembling now, and so was Laura’s.

‘It’s not like in the movies, Laura. It’s not just a bite. They maul you. That thing left me for dead in a pool of my own blood. Only I didn’t die. I just lay there. For days. Crying out for a mother that would never come.’

Tears were falling freely now. Laura’s own eyes were burning. Her throat was dry.

‘Finally, I realised that nobody was coming to save me. I crawled back to my home with a broken leg. My father took me to the hospital, and the doctor told me it was a miracle I was alive. I begged to see my mother, but she didn’t visit me. I spent a month recovering at home. It was all very dull and painful until one morning when I woke up in the woods again. I had no memory of how I’d gotten there. I didn’t tell anybody about it. It took a few months of it happening before I realised what I’d become. I had to do my own research on my father’s computer when he wasn’t home, and one word kept appearing over and over again: werewolf.’

Laura’s intake of breath at the word didn’t go unnoticed by Danny.

‘The revelation meant a couple of different things. Firstly, I could expect to shift three times a month for the rest of my life. Secondly, I wouldn’t be able to carry children. And lastly, I knew I’d never be able to be honest with anyone again.’

She wiped the tears from her eyes.

‘About a year after it happened, I saw my mother. She came by one night. Just to “check up on me”. She said that I might be able to come and live with her in her new home. I cried and told her what had happened.’

Danny’s lip was trembling.

‘She said she wasn’t strong enough to be a mother to a monster, so she kissed me on the cheek, and she left. I haven’t seen her since.’

Silence stretched out between them. Laura had no idea what to say.

‘I didn’t want to do this without you knowing what I am.’ Danny said.

Laura placed a soft kiss on her lips. ‘I’ve always known what you are. You’re brave, and strong, and beautiful. You’re everything I’ve ever wanted. You’re Danny.’ 

‘Laura, I’ve killed people. Before I learnt to control it… people died.’

Their foreheads touched. ‘This changes nothing. You’re not a monster, Danny. You’re just a woman. Maybe the most incredible woman I’ve ever met.’

So they cried. And they hugged. And they kissed. And they had sex. And they fell in love.

 

‘Agent Hollis, we need your statement.’

Laura wiped the tears staining her cheeks away with the heel of her hand. ‘I’ll be right there.’

A year ago this room felt like a haven, now it felt like a tomb. She rose from the bed and made her way out to the hall. Carmilla passed by her and offered up a weak smile. It wasn’t returned.

 

Despite Laura’s protests, Carmilla had insisted on walking her home. They’d been silent until Carmilla chose to speak.

‘We’ll find her.’

‘Don’t, Carmilla. Don’t talk to me like I’m a child. I don’t need the false promises of hope from you.’

A pause.

‘You’re right. We might not find her. But we’ll try. I’m right beside you.’

It meant something to her, but she couldn’t bring herself to thank her. She just shoved her hands in to her pockets and stared at her feet. 

It felt like an obvious question, but Laura asked it anyway, ‘Can you track her scent?’

‘No. I tried, but there was no trail. She was just gone.’

‘And Kirsch?’

‘I didn’t pick up his scent there. I’d wager that he’s cloaked himself. He must know that we’d try to track him.’

Laura sighed out all of her frustrations. She’d been too reckless with this case; too desperate to solve it. If it was her fault that Kirsch found out about Danny, she might never forgive herself.

Carmilla seemed to read her mind. ‘It wasn’t you, Hollis. Kirsch has the ingredients for that locator spell. It doesn’t reveal exact identities, but I’m sure it was easy enough for him to realise that it was a member from the department. He probably couldn’t resist.’

‘Why would he bring that much heat on to himself? He must know that we’ll be out in full force now.’

She shrugged. ‘He’s cocky. And he may not have realised that he was taking the Chief.’

Laura’s jaw clenched. Once she got her hands on him, he’d never forget it. They stopped walking when they reached her building. Carmilla stood back.

‘It’s okay. You can come up.’ She punched in the code to unlock the doors. ‘I don’t think I want to be alone tonight.’

Carmilla stood beside her, but kept her distance. They’d spent enough time together now to accurately read each other’s moods and understand when their boundaries were up. 

The elevator was old, and it clicked loudly as the chains pulled them up to Laura’s floor. Carmilla didn’t speak, but her eyes lingered. Laura could feel them burning in to the back of her head. The doors opened and they stepped out in to the hall. As she approached her door, Laura noticed that a note was stuck over the peephole. Probably her neighbour leaving another passive-aggressive message about noise complaints. She reached out to rip it down, but her hand froze.

_Detective Hollis,_

_It has come to my attention that you and Detective Karnstein have been doing a little digging in to my past._

_Truly, I’m flattered by the attention. Though I was under the impression that you had been removed from the case you suspect me in. My mistake._

_I can only assume that my colourful history has reinforced the idea in your head that I am guilty of taking those girls. If I could, I would appreciate the opportunity to explain my side._

_You are not wrong, but you are not right either. You’re missing a few crucial details. Should you be willing to meet me again – alone – I would be more than happy to fill in the blanks._

_Yours,  
Brody Kirsch. _

She pulled it down and flipped the page over. Coordinates were scribbled in black ink in the bottom left corner.

Carmilla took the paper from her hand as she unlocked the door. ‘How stupid does this guy think you are?’

Laura walked inside and poured herself a glass of water.

‘Hollis, tell me you’re not considering this?’

She took a sip. ‘So what if I am? What other options do we have?’

Carmilla closed the door behind her and stepped in to the kitchen. ‘It’s just going to be another trap. You cannot trust this guy.’

‘I’m not trusting him. I just don’t want to look back on this in a month and wish I’d acted on it. I don’t want to look back and realise I could have stopped her from being k-‘ she trailed off. She couldn’t bring herself to say it.

Carmilla placed a sturdy hand on her shoulder and looked in to her eyes. ‘She’s not going to die.’

Laura shrugged her off and walked past her to the lounge, collapsing on to the sofa. She placed her glass on the coffee table and closed her eyes. Carmilla walked over, but leant against the opposite wall with her arms crossed.

‘This is a mistake.’ Carmilla said.

Her apartment felt tiny, like the walls were closing in.

‘It could also be a mistake to ignore it. Either way, I’m going to have regrets.’ Laura paused and played with the corner of her yellow pillow. It smelt like Carmilla’s conditioner. ‘I can’t just sit here and wait for a lead. I have to do something.’ She buried her face in her hands.

The couch cushion dipped as she felt the weight of Carmilla beside her. A cool hand touched her neck. Laura released a breath and leant over, allowing herself to be cradled. Carmilla ran her fingers through her hair.

It was moments like this when Laura missed having a mother the most.

‘You still love her,’ Carmilla said softly. It wasn’t a question. There was a tinge of sadness to it.

Laura sat up. ‘I’ll always love her. Or at least, a part of me will. But I don’t want to be with her. I just want to save her. I want her to be okay. She doesn’t deserve this. None of those girls do.’

She rose from the sofa and started pacing. A full moon had already passed since the first girl was taken. She didn’t know what Kirsch was waiting for, or what use he had for a group of werewolves. She balled her hands in to fists. The fact that she knew absolutely nothing was maddening.

Carmilla sat with her hands folded in her lap. Laura got the impression that she was waiting to be told what to do.

‘He already knows where I live. I’m in danger no matter what I do. So I’m going.’ Laura said finally.

‘Then I am too.’

‘No. If he sees you, he’ll bail, and this might be our only shot to figure out what’s been going on.’

Carmilla stood up too. ‘If you think for one second I’m letting you go near a very violent and very powerful magical being by yourself, you’re an idiot.’

‘I don’t need a babysitter.’

‘No, you don’t.’ She walked over so that they were facing each other. ‘You need a partner.’ 

She extended her hand and Laura clasped it with her own. An unspoken agreement.

‘So what’s the plan?’ Laura asked.

Carmilla walked over to the mantle and stared at the photographs. She picked up the picture of her childhood pet and examined it. ‘You go in, armed to the teeth, and I follow behind you.’

‘He might not come out to play if I’ve got company.’

She placed the picture back down. ‘He won’t know I’m there.’

‘More invisibility powder?’ Laura groaned, remembering the pinch on her ass inside of the magic store.

‘No, you can’t conjure it in bulk amounts, and it’s too draining to create more so soon. But I have a few other tricks up my sleeve.’

She wasn’t sure if she liked the sound of that. Carmilla picked up the piece of paper. ‘This isn’t in town.’

‘Then where is it?’

‘About thirty-five kilometres North-East of here.’

‘North-East…’ Laura’s brow furrowed. ‘Right. Perfect.’ Carmilla raised an eyebrow. Laura sighed. ‘I know where he wants to meet. When I was a kid my dad used to take me out there to see games. It’s a stadium.’

‘Why am I not surprised that the evil jock wants to lure you in to a trap on a football field?’ Carmilla said. 

‘At least its wide open, gonna be hard for him to pull out any surprises. That stadium has been abandoned for years. I’m surprised he even knows about it.’

‘Never underestimate a college guy’s ability to recall useless football trivia.’ She tapped her fingers against the table. ‘A lot of space isn’t always a good thing though, Hollis. That leaves him a lot of room to throw dangerous spells around.’

‘He’ll be on the ground before he can cast anything.’

Laura crossed the room to the opposite side. She applied pressure to a section of the wall; it popped forward and slid to the side, revealing a safe. 

‘Keep your jewellery in there, Hollis?’ Carmilla teased.

She pulled out two guns, a knife, and a sword. She tossed the last item over to Carmilla who caught it with one hand. ‘Something like that.’

Carmilla unsheathed the weapon. It gleamed beneath the ceiling lights. ‘This is a beautiful.’

Laura closed the safe. ‘It was my mother’s.’ She turned to face her. ‘Make her proud.’

Carmilla nodded and sheathed it behind her back.

The clouds were passing over the waxing moon. Laura watched the shadows dance across the railings of her balcony. If Kirsch had to die tonight, so be it.

She took a breath, walked back over to Carmilla, and wrapped her arms around her waist. Carmilla’s cheeks turned pink. Nothing happened.

‘Well?’ Laura asked.

Carmilla blinked. ‘What?’

‘Do the thing.’

‘The thing?’

‘Yeah, the teleporting thing, let’s go.’

‘I’m not teleporting us there, cupcake.’

Laura leant back and frowned. ‘Why not?’

‘He’s not an idiot. He’ll sense us coming a mile away. Teleporting creates a ripple effect that can be picked up on by even the most basic of magically gifted creatures. And considering that you’re incapable of doing that on your own, he’s gonna know you brought a friend.’

‘Oh.’ Laura stood there for a moment, unsure of what to do next.

‘Laura?’

‘Yes?’

‘Your hands.’

‘Oh!’ She jumped back. Carmilla grinned, but the pink tinge hadn’t entirely faded from her cheeks. 

Laura cleared her throat. ‘Right. So I guess we’re driving.’

‘A road trip to an abandoned football stadium on a starry night. How terribly romantic.’

‘Ah yes,’ Laura said as she flicked the lights off and opened the door, ‘I remember the first time I drove out with a girl to meet a serial-kidnapper. You never forget your first time.’

Carmilla snorted and followed her out in to the hall.

 

It was a half-hour drive to the stadium. The further from town they got, the clearer the sky became. 

‘It’s a beautiful night.’ Carmilla said.

Laura couldn’t enjoy it. The stars just reminded her of how vast the universe was, and how Danny could be anywhere. She could be looking down from them with her mother. The tears stinging her eyes were blinked away before they could fall. This was not the time to be weak.

‘How close are we?’

Laura glanced at the digital clock in her car. ‘Another fifteen minutes.’

‘Make it another ten. We’ll walk the rest.’

She didn’t question her. 

‘So why weren’t the girls on your registry?’

A mountain hare darted across the road, illuminated briefly by the headlights.

‘They’re underage. Nobody gets registered until they’re eighteen.’

‘Still seems like an invasion of privacy to me.’

‘All right, vampy. You just don’t want _your_ name on a list.’

‘And you’d be happy to have your personal afflictions documented?’

‘If I had any, yes, but I’m not a supernatural being.’

‘I don’t know about that, super brat.’ Carmilla mumbled under her breath.

She broke suddenly, causing Carmilla to lurch forward. The seatbelt across her chest snapped her back. ‘Hollis!’

Laura was laughing.

‘If you do that again, I swear I’ll bite you.’

They argued the rest of the way. It was a welcome distraction. Eventually, Carmilla signalled for her to pull over. The car vibrated as they turned off of the paved road. Clouds of dirt trailed from the wheels. She stopped the car. 

The stadium could be seen up ahead, a shadowy mass contrasted against the moonlight. 

‘Who builds a football arena this far away from a town?’ Carmilla asked as she unclipped her seatbelt.

‘Well, it wasn’t just used for football.’

Carmilla raised an eyebrow.

‘They used to host… other matches here. Magical duels.’

‘So Daddy wasn’t really taking his daughter out to see a friendly football game.’

‘Daddy used to use his daughter as a sympathy card any time he couldn’t pay back his gambling debt.’

Carmilla didn’t respond to that.

The sound of their car doors slamming echoed out across the empty fields. Laura turned to face Carmilla.

‘Are you ready for this?’ Laura asked.

Carmilla grazed her fingers down her arm. A touch so gentle that she wasn’t sure she really felt it.

‘I’ve got your back. No matter what.’

They walked the rest of the way in silence. Every time Laura’s foot slipped over the rocky earth she cursed herself for not wearing better shoes. They paused at the entrance.

‘Once we go through here, we’ll be out in the open. Might want to do your magic before that happens or he’ll see you.’

‘Hold this, would you?’ Carmilla passed the sword over.

Before Laura could protest, she disappeared in a puff of black smoke. But it wasn’t like when she teleported, it didn’t vanish in to thin air, it spiralled toward the ground and left a cat in its wake.

‘You’re kidding, right?’

Carmilla blinked up at her.

‘A fluffy little kitten. Not a bat. Not even a fruit bat?’

She hissed and slunk off in to the shadows. Laura couldn’t help but grin. She’d never stop teasing her about this.

The field was dark. The floodlights surrounding the grounds probably didn’t even work anymore. She walked for a few minutes before a voice rang out. 

‘Detective Hollis.’

The almost-full moon illuminated her surroundings in sharp edges. Kirsch emerged from the shadows with his hands raised.

Laura pulled one of her guns out and held it in front of her. ‘Keep them up.’ 

‘I’m not armed.’

‘Well I am, so do as I say.’

The light reflected off of his teeth. He was grinning.

‘Where is Chief Lawrence?’

‘Not here. She’s with a bro, if you could really call him that.’

Laura’s jaw twitched. She was trying to not roll her eyes. ‘This bro of yours got a name?’

‘Will.’

‘Will who?’

‘Just Will.’

She took a step forward. Kirsch held his ground.

‘Gotta say, detective, this soft lighting suits you. Anyone ever told you you’re a real hottie?’

It was safe to assume that his partner had written that note on her door. Kirsch didn’t seem capable of stringing three coherent sentences together.

‘So what do you do with the girls, Kirsch?’

‘Me?’ He shrugged, keeping his hands up. ‘Nothing. I drop them off at my bro’s place, I take my money, and I leave.’

A professional kidnapper. Great.

‘So where can I find Will?’

‘Oh no, little hottie. It’s not that simple. I asked you here to make a trade.’

Her finger tensed over the trigger. ‘I’m not really in the mood to bargain with a criminal.’

‘My freedom for the location of the girls. Take it or leave it, babe.’

Laura narrowed her eyes. ‘You’d really be willing to roll over on your buddy like that?’

‘A real bro would have protected me. I knew it was only a matter of time before you ladies arrested me, so I thought I should make the first move.’

This didn’t feel right. She couldn’t shake the feeling that he was trying to pull something here.

‘How do I know I can trust you?’

‘You don’t.’

Her hand tightened around the handle of her gun. Kirsch grinned.

‘If you wanna take a moment to talk things over with your lady, I’ll wait.’

Carmilla appeared beside her in a swirl of black smoke. ‘How did you find the girls?’ She asked immediately. ‘And I don’t mean the location spell or the Argentum. How did you narrow it down?’

He paused, seemingly debating whether or not to reveal the information. ‘Once I had their basic locations, it was pretty much a waiting game. I’d leave notices lying around saying I was a powerful warlock that could un-do curses. Eventually, they all made contact, begging me to “make them normal again”. I’d tell them to go to The Magick Shoppe at noon and buy ingredients for a love spell. That was the signal. Once I got a look at their faces, it was easy to find out their names and where they lived.’

Laura felt sick. Those poor girls had no idea what they were getting themselves in to. They just wanted to live out normal lives. They might already be dead.

‘You’re disgusting.’ Laura said.

He shrugged. ‘Hey, three nights out of the month they’re killers. I’m kinda doing this town a favour.’

She thought about Danny, and then everything else faded away. 

Laura lunged at him, but she passed through his body like smoke. He rippled away in to the air.

‘It’s a trick. He’s still here.’ Carmilla’s eyes were scanning the arena. ‘He’s brought a friend. I can feel it. Guess you weren’t the only one bringing uninvited guests to this party.’ 

A ball of white energy whizzed down from the stands, leaving a trail of light in its wake, and crashed in front of them. Laura was blasted back. Her head collided with the ground. Pain seared through her.

Carmilla called out for her.

‘I’m fine!’ Laura yelled back. ‘But this is some Harry Potter shit for real and I am _not_ equipped to deal with it!’

She ducked as another stream of coloured light came toward her. Carmilla grabbed her hand and pulled her in the other direction.

‘Harry what?’ 

Laura shook her head. ‘We’ll be talking about that later.’

They ran in to the stands and ducked behind the chairs. Carmilla took the sword back and the metal sung when she unsheathed it. Laura cocked her gun. The lights had stopped.

Carmilla pressed a finger to her lips. Laura held her breath. She vanished. Wisps of black smoke evaporated in to the air. She waited there, crouching. The silence was deafening.

An explosion sounded from across the field. Laura saw Carmilla’s outline illuminated by a spell before she fell in to darkness again. Something was wrapping itself around her body.

Screw this.

Laura leapt over the chairs and started running toward the source of the lights. Kirsch materialised in front of her before she could reach Carmilla. He knocked her weapon out of her hand and wrapped his arms around her throat, lifting her off of the ground. Her feet thrashed through the air, trying desperately to make contact with his body. She clawed at his arms but it was no use. Carmilla was trying to call out to her, but everything was starting to sound muted. Her legs started going limp. And for a moment, she swore she could hear her mother’s voice.

Kirsch shrieked and let go of her. Laura crashed in to the ground. She gasped, drawing rattled breaths in to her body. Carmilla stood before her with a bloodied sword in one hand.

Pink light was crackling through the air. Kirsch disappeared in to it. Silence.

Carmilla dropped to her knees and pulled Laura on to her lap. She was still trying to suck in as much oxygen as she could. Her throat burned.

‘Hey,’ Carmilla’s voice was barely above a whisper and her fingers brushed through Laura’s hair, ‘you’re fine. Just breathe.’

Carmilla reached down and laced her fingers around her wrist. She brought Laura’s hand to her lips and pressed a kissed against it. ‘You’re okay…’

It seemed like she was talking to herself more than Laura now.

After a few minutes, Laura pulled herself upright. 

‘Guess that idiot was a little more powerful than we gave him credit for.’ Her voice was croaky. It hurt to talk.

‘I’m not so sure. That friend I thought I was sensing? It wasn’t a physical being. It was their essence. That was borrowed power Kirsch was wielding. Guess he’s got powerful friends.’

‘Maybe he’s a magic groupie. Bought all those ingredients in high school but couldn’t deliver when it counted. Guess that’s why he doesn’t mind being the lackey.’ She started coughing. Carmilla frowned.

‘He was never going to turn on Will. He just wanted another shot at us.’ She said.

Laura raised a hand to rub her throat. She’d be feeling this for days.

‘Come on,’ Carmilla lifted her off the ground, ‘let’s go home. I’ll drive.’

‘I owe you a life saving.’ Laura whispered.

‘Nah, I think I’ll decide how you can pay me back.’

She was starting to owe Carmilla quite a few favours.

 

It was three o’clock in the morning by the time they made it back. Laura kicked her shoes off and went straight to the fridge, cracking open two beers. She didn’t bother to turn the lights on.

‘We’re calling it a night then, are we?’ Carmilla asked as she took one of the beers from her.

‘Yeah, I think I’ve had enough surprises for one evening.’ Her voice was back to normal now, but her throat was throbbing.

She walked over and opened the sliding glass door. Carmilla followed her out to the balcony. The clouds were gone now. They both leant against the railings and looked out over the city.

‘So tomorrow, we find Will.’ Carmilla said, taking a sip of her drink.

‘Yeah, tomorrow. Tonight I just want to look at the stars.’

Carmilla’s hand laced around her waist.

‘So,’ Carmilla said, ‘it was kind of a romantic evening after all.’

Laura snorted. ‘In what world could that be considered romantic?’

‘Well we had the moonlit drive, a lightshow at an abandoned stadium, and I feel that saving your life was a bonding moment.’

She laughed. Carmilla squeezed her closer. Laura rested her head on her shoulder and closed her eyes. 

For a moment, she let herself forget about the danger they were in. She forgot about Kirsch. She let herself breathe.

She was here, on her balcony under the stars with Carmilla, and it was kind of perfect.

A gunshot. 

The sound echoed like the crack of a whip through the streets. Laura’s eyes flew open.

‘What the fuck was that?’

Carmilla dropped to her knees beside her. Glass shattered against the tiles. Laura turned. Blood was trickling down her shirt. A deep red against the pale white skin. The bullet wound was over her heart.

‘Jesus!’

She fell beside her and wrapped her arms behind her back. ‘Carmilla? _Carmilla?’_

No response. She started shaking her. ‘ _Carmilla please._ ’

She couldn’t be dead. Vampires didn’t die. Bullets don’t kill vampires.

Her heart stopped.

Silver bullets do.

_‘CARMILLA.’_

She didn’t know how to check for signs of life. No breath. No pulse. What was left?

Desperate, she pulled her knife from her jacket and made a slit across her palm. Steam was rising from the blood. She held her hand over Carmilla’s mouth. There was no response.

She started sobbing, clinging to her cold body.

This was what she was: a magnet for danger and despair and death. She’d never meant for this to happen. 

Carmilla stayed limp in her arms.

‘Look,’ she turned Carmilla’s head so that it was facing the sky, ‘it’s the harp. Lyra! Remember Lyra? And look, Vega is so bright tonight. Can you see it, Carmilla? It’s so blue.’

She pressed her bloodied hand against Carmilla’s cheek.

Nothing.


	5. Loose Ends

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Trigger Warning: heavy mentions of blood.

The blood from her hand was drying on Carmilla’s cheek, a crimson streak against her pale face. Paler than usual. It was as if the last few vestiges of colour had finally drained from her skin. 

Laura was curled against her body, listening to the emptiness inside her chest. Not that the lack of a heartbeat meant anything. It had never been there to begin with. The blood from the bullet wound was still seeping, smearing across Laura’s face and hands. She didn’t care.

Her father was right. She was a train wreck. A magnet. A danger to herself and anybody foolish enough to come near her. 

Carmilla was her partner. Her friend. More than that, even. They’d connected in a way that Laura couldn’t describe. Beyond partnership. Like old friends coming home to each other. She didn’t believe in past lives or fate or anything like that, but she somehow felt like they were _meant_ to meet, for whatever reason. 

Things she should have said earlier. But things she’d never really considered until this moment. She closed her eyes. Carmilla’s body felt empty. Like a shell that had once housed something beautiful, but now it lay abandoned before her. Gone in an instant. Like Betty. Like Danny. Like her mother. 

Only… Carmilla wasn’t gone. Her body was wrapped up in Laura’s arms. Vampires are supposed to fade away to ash, they’re supposed to crumble and drift off in to nothingness. But her body was here – cold and empty. What did that mean?

She glanced inside. Her laptop was sitting on the coffee table. She could go in and get it, but she didn’t want to leave Carmilla. Not even for a second. It was like if she let her hands leave her body, she might drift away.

It took a few minutes to drag her inside. Luckily there was no carpet in the lounge. Blood trailed along the floor until she could hoist her up on to the couch.

Laura pulled her laptop open with one hand – the other was cradling Carmilla against her – and began typing. A silver bullet to the heart: instant death. She glanced down at her. Still here. But the perfect circular wound was still visible. Right over her heart.

 _Over_ her heart. As in slightly above. Had it missed?

Silver bullet to the body: poison, lack of consciousness, eventual death if left untreated. Eventual.

Her fingers tapped against the keys. No immediate cures. Her heart sank. She wasn’t sure how much time Carmilla had left before she’d burn away to nothing in her arms.

She scrolled down. _Treatments_. Her eyes widened at the word. Doses of fresh blood – she’d tried that.

Hold on.

 _The most effective form of treatment are doses of fresh blood. The vampire should regain consciousness within minutes, but may require several doses before the poison is flushed from the body. The most important step is to (if possible) remove the silver from the body –_

Laura pulled her already-bloodied knife from the pocket of the jacket she’d draped over Carmilla. It had been a long time since she’d dug a bullet out of someone, and she’d only done it once. She placed the tip of the knife against Carmilla’s skin. Her hands were shaking. Laura pressed down – half expecting Carmilla to flinch – and felt the metal make contact with the bullet. After a few failed attempts, it was evident that she wasn’t going to be able to flick it out. She pressed the knife against the wall of the wound, making room for her fingers. Slowly, she slid them down and groped for the bullet. It hadn’t gone particularly deep – lucky for her. Her fingers were slick with blood and it was hard to slide the object out of her body, but finally, she managed to wrench it from the wound. Fresh blood spilled out, but it didn’t matter, she was already covered in it anyway. The strangest thing about it was how cold it was. Almost icy against her own skin.

She dropped the bullet on the table and turned back to her laptop, leaving bloody fingerprints on the track pad.

_– and then begin administering the blood. The vampire will need to consume a large amount, so the best course of action is to draw it directly from a pulse point or artery. Should this prove to be unsuccessful, the human may need to consume half a cup of Arnica tea. A common plant that can easily be found in the wild or in most magic stores selling healing drinks and gems._

She didn’t have time to go hunting for a fucking flower. Fuck.

_This brewed concoction increases the heart rate of the consumer and releases a pheromone which causes the vampire’s body to react instinctually – rousing them from their unconscious state and causing them to bite and drink the from the willing donor._

Right. She didn’t have any mystical flowers to increase her heart rate, but she did have coffee.

Laura paused. Her eyes washed over Carmilla. She squeezed her hand. ‘I’ll be right back. Don’t go anywhere.’

A tin of instant coffee was tucked away in the back of her cabinet. Several items crashed to the floor as she immediately wrenched it out. The kettle had never boiled so slowly. She kept throwing nervous glances back toward the lounge – terrified that Carmilla might disappear at any moment. Finally, it began whistling. She pulled it from the stove and emptied it over the powder in her mug. She swished around, not bothering to add any sugar, and drained it all in one go. The searing heat burned her throat and stung her eyes, but she didn’t care. It didn’t matter. The empty cup clattered against the kitchen bench as she turned back to face the couch. Carmilla was still there. 

She lifted her so that she was sitting upright and took a seat beside her. Laura had never done this before – never willingly coaxed a vampire to bite her, and an unconscious one at that. 

_… a pheromone that causes the vampire’s body to react instinctually._

That effect would require more than caffeine to recreate. Her palm was still stinging and she couldn’t fully close her hand around Carmilla’s arm, so she opted for sliding it around her back and cradling her head. She wrapped her legs around her waist, pulling her against her own body. Carmilla slumped forward and Laura’s arms trembled with the weight of her, but she persevered. Her head came to rest against her shoulder. 

Right. Now what?

She attempted to reach around and open Carmilla’s mouth with her fingers. She delicately parted her lips – but there were no fangs.

She spent the next few minutes trying various things, including pinching the skin of her throat in an attempt to make some blood rush to the area, but nothing was happening. God. What if it was already too late?

Carmilla felt even colder than usual. The last clinging semblance of life was leaving her body at a rate that Laura could not combat. She clung to her, and fresh tears began to slide down her cheeks. Her chest heaved as she drew in rattled breaths. Any moment now, she’d feel Carmilla’s body slipping away from her.

Her own head came to rest against the crook of Carmilla’s shoulder. An immense feeling of loss settled inside of her chest. Everything was just happening too soon. Everybody was leaving her.

And then she felt it. A searing pain by her collarbone. An unbelievable sting that drew a shriek from her lips.

Carmilla’s whole body tensed against her. Her limp arms shot up and pinned them together. She was ravenous, animalistic. Laura didn’t attempt to struggle despite the agonising pain – it burned through her whole body.

Then, as quickly as it had happened, it stopped. She felt the sensation of the fangs leaving her throat. She pulled back and opened her eyes. They were still wrapped around each other. Fresh blood was smattered across Carmilla’s face, a lighter shade than the dried blood from earlier. Her pupils were fully blown and her fangs had not retracted.

Laura wasn’t sure what she was looking at. Was this even Carmilla? Had she just triggered some sort of primal state?

The pale fingers behind her back moved and pressed hard in to her shoulders. She looked dazed, maybe even completely out of it. 

Laura’s voice trembled. ‘Carmilla?’

The sound seemed to ground her. Her black pupils retracted, leaving dark brown eyes. Eyes that bore in to her own. Carmilla’s arms drifted away.

‘Laura…’ Her voice was barely a whisper, all of its usual candour lost. ‘What happened?’ She blinked. Her fingers reached out to touch the bite marks. ‘Your neck…’

She tried to shuffle backwards, but she was still trapped by Laura’s arms and legs.

‘I bit you. Oh god, I bit you. I’m so sorry, I don’t even… I can’t remember. I’m so sorry.’

Her throat was still searing, but she absolutely did not care. She pulled Carmilla against her, and if she’d needed to breathe, she probably would have found it difficult right now.

‘You were dead.’ Laura’s voice was muffled by Carmilla’s neck. ‘I mean, I thought you were dead.’

A cool hand touched the base of Laura’s neck. She melted in to it.

‘Cupcake,’ she gently pushed Laura back and cupped her cheeks in her hands, ‘I died, like, three hundred years ago.’

Laura blinked.

‘You _idiot_.’ She pushed Carmilla away. ‘You total fucking idiot.’

Carmilla started laughing. It was a weak laugh; she still looked paler than usual. Laura pulled her back in for another hug. ‘You’re an asshole,’ she said.

‘I am.’ They broke apart and Carmilla’s fingers trailed by her collarbone. ‘Did I hurt you?’

‘Well, I can’t say it was the most gentle hickey I’ve ever received, but I’m fine. So much for your “if I did it, it wouldn’t hurt” speech though.’

Carmilla frowned. ‘Hey, I was just dead. Extra dead. I wasn’t in any state to be gentle.’

She was joking, but Laura could see the guilt behind her eyes. She shuffled closer to her. Her legs were still wrapped around her waist.

‘Hey – it was worth it, all right? I’d have done just about anything to bring you back. It was my decision to make, and I made it.’

Carmilla’s mouth twisted up in to a smile. Laura’s blood was still all over her lips. She started to fall backwards. Laura wrapped an arm around her to steady her.

‘You need to take more. That wasn’t enough.’

Carmilla shook her head. ‘I can’t.’

‘You have to. Fresh blood is the only way to push the poison out of your body.’

Carmilla looked confused. Laura picked up the silver bullet from the table and rolled it between her fingers.

‘Kirsch.’ Carmilla said.

‘I suspect so.’

‘I guess his ego couldn’t handle the beat down I gave him.’ She took the bullet from Laura and examined it.

‘Well,’ Laura said, ‘he certainly underestimated us.’

She placed the bullet back down. ‘Underestimated you, maybe. Who would have thought that Detective Hollis would make herself a willing snack for a vampire?’

‘Not for a vampire. For a friend.’

Carmilla grinned, and even with the different shades of blood all over her face, it was beautiful.

‘So we’re friends now.’ She said.

‘We weren’t already?’ Laura asked.

‘I don’t know. We were something.’

A fresh hit of pain throbbed through her body and she winced. The reaction didn’t go unnoticed by Carmilla.

‘I can’t bite you again. You’re already in too much pain.’

The blood had coagulated and had stopped trickling down Laura’s chest now.

‘Don’t be an idiot.’ Laura placed her hands on Carmilla’s legs. ‘Just bite me somewhere else.’

‘I can’t.’

Laura groaned. ‘I’m not asking, Carmilla, I’m telling. As your partner, I’m ordering you to do this.’

She raised an eyebrow. ‘Who would have thought you’d be such a top.’

Laura rolled her eyes. Trust Carmilla Karnstein to rise from the dead and still have the verve to flirt two minutes later.

Her pale hand gripped Laura’s arm, but she pulled away from her grasp.

‘No. From my neck, where the pulse is strongest.’

Carmilla swallowed. Laura’s eyes watched the lump travel down her throat.

‘Are you sure?’

‘Oh, just hurry the fuck up.’

Carmilla laughed. Laura found her mouth cracking in to a smile, but it was wiped from her lips when Carmilla started leaning toward her.

Their eyes were locked. Her heart was pounding in her chest, and not because of the caffeine. There was only an inch or two of space between their faces now. Carmilla seemed to be searching her eyes for something. Consent? But she’d already given it. 

Laura’s eyes dropped to her mouth, but before any coherent thoughts could form in her head, Carmilla finally moved toward her throat. Her fingers brushed against the warm skin over Laura’s chest, gentle as a butterfly’s wings. She was finding it difficult to breathe.

‘Do you remember what I told you, in the car?’

Laura’s eyes closed. ‘Yes,’ she said.

Her fingers moved to her throat, tracing along the opposite side of the previous bite. ‘If it hurts, just tell me to stop.’

She braced herself for the pain, and it did hurt, just for a second. The sting of the fangs piercing her skin was white-hot, but then it was replaced by something else. A strange kind of warmth that began at her throat and then travelled through her, swimming through her veins and bringing her body to life. It was surreal, an unbelievable experience that she wasn’t sure she could describe. The warmth seemed to be flooding in to Carmilla as well; her hands were feeling a little less cold against Laura’s own skin.

Without thinking, Laura tightened her legs around her, bringing their bodies even closer. Carmilla responded, leaning forward so that their chests were pressed together. One of Laura’s hands snaked behind Carmilla’s head and buried itself in to her hair.

It was euphoric. The warmth extended itself and began to build in her stomach. She tilted her head back, and Carmilla took full advantage, biting a little harder. But it didn’t hurt. It felt… good. 

She began to feel the tiniest bit feint, and Carmilla guided her down on to her back. Her legs loosened, but still remained on either side of her. She felt the weight of Carmilla’s body on top of her, surrounding her. Her body twitched as the warmth inside her grew hotter. Just as the feeling threatened to blossom over her entire body, Carmilla stopped.

Laura shuddered when she felt Carmilla’s tongue run over the fresh bite marks. She opened her eyes to see her hovering over her, that same searching look in her eyes.

‘Are you okay?’

Laura stared at her red lips. The warmth slowly subsided, and her body relaxed against the couch.

‘Yes.’ Her eyes flicked back up to meet Carmilla’s. ‘Are you?’

She smiled and bit her lip. ‘I’m definitely feeling better.’

Neither of them spoke for a moment, but they didn’t move. Carmilla lowered her body until it met Laura’s. She was warm.

Carmilla withdrew her right hand from underneath Laura’s back and used it to brush some of the hair from her face. Laura’s eyes fluttered closed for a moment. She was totally overwhelmed. 

Carmilla’s eyebrows were drawn together with the faintest hint of a frown. Laura raised her own hand and ran her thumb along her cheek. She was alive. She was okay. Carmilla wet her lips. Laura drew a breath, unsure of what she was about to say. ‘Danny.’

It was the only word that came out of her mouth. Carmilla froze. Laura didn’t move.

‘Danny.’ Carmilla repeated.

She slid back, and Laura’s body tensed at the sudden departure of warmth. She hadn’t realised how cold her own body had become until Carmilla’s was no longer pressed against it.

She sat up and ran a hand through her tangled hair. Laura tried to pull herself upright, but Carmilla stopped her.

‘No. You’re weak.’ She tried to stand, but couldn’t.

‘So are you.’ Laura said.

Their eyes met, but that searching look was gone. 

‘Not as weak as you, though.’ She reached out and patted Laura on the shoulder. ‘I’ll make us some tea.’

Slowly, she pulled herself up from the couch.

‘Can I use your shower first?’

Half of Carmilla’s body was caked in their blood.

‘Of course.’

A weak smile flashed across her face. ‘Thanks, partner.’ And then she disappeared down the hall.

Laura raised a shaky hand and pressed it over her heart. That was… well that was something she’d never felt before.

She looked outside. The sun was just starting to rise, colouring the sky a ghostly silver. 

This wasn’t how she’d expected the night to go.

Here she was: Laura Hollis, covered in blood, having just experienced one of the most intimate moments of her life – and having no idea what that meant.

 

After a few hours of sleep, a meal, and several iron tablets, she was feeling much better. Carmilla, however, was not.

‘It’s going to take a few doses before the poison is gone. In the mean time, don’t exhaust yourself.’

All of the curtains were drawn and Carmilla was sprawled out on the bed in her underwear and one of Laura’s shirts. The couch was still smothered in blood, so Laura had insisted that she should sleep on her bed instead. She didn’t put up much of a fight; she just didn’t have the energy. 

‘You’ll have to get me blood from the butcher’s. I can’t go anywhere until the sun is down. In this weakened state, it’ll practically set me on fire.’

Laura stuffed her keys in to the back pocket of her jeans. ‘I’m not bringing you back a jar of blood from the butcher’s, that’s disgusting.’

Carmilla groaned. ‘I know it seems gross to you, but that’s how I get my blood, Hollis.’ She almost looked embarrassed. Almost.

‘I’m not bothered by the blood, idiot. I’m just not bringing you that to drink. Cold animal’s blood isn’t exactly the most appetising thing in the world. You’ll just drink from me again.’

Carmilla shot up, but quickly sank back down in to the blankets again. She sighed. ‘No, Laura. Look at you – you’re shaking. And you’re paler than death. I won’t do it.’

‘It won’t be like this morning.’ Her cheeks coloured with the implication of what that sentence _could_ mean. If Carmilla had been thinking the same thing, it didn’t show on her face. ‘That is to say, you won’t have to take the same amount from me. The website just says to take a little at a time every few hours or so. By the end of today, it should be flushed from your system.’

Carmilla picked up a pillow and buried her face in it. She didn’t argue.

‘I’ll be back in a few hours.’ She lingered for a moment, unsure if she should hug her, or maybe squeeze her hand, but finally she just turned and left the apartment.

 

It was still early – barely 7 – and the streets were relatively quiet. A few sleepy little cafés were opening up. She might stop in one on the way back to pick up something sweet for Carmilla.

She pulled her car up in front of The Magick Shoppe and killed the engine. A small “Open” sign was sitting on the door to the entrance. Good.

For once, she didn’t need to ring the bell at the desk. Lola Perry was already standing behind it.

‘Good morning, Detective Hollis.’ Her voice was a little too cheery for such an early hour. ‘How can I help you today?’

Laura pulled a folded up piece of paper from her pocket and handed it over. ‘I’m looking for these ingredients, please.’

She pursed her lips as her eyes darted back and forth over the page.

‘Hmm… one moment, please.’ She disappeared in to the back room. 

Laura glanced around the store. It was definitely a weird place. One wrong move and you’d spill one of those jars of coloured sand on yourself – then who knows what would happen? She found herself wondering what it would feel like to be turned in to a toad when the other shop owner emerged.

‘Good morning, Detective.’ They said.

‘Uh, morning.’ She glanced behind them. ‘I was just speaking to your partner?’

‘Yeah, she likes to do inventory first thing of a morning, so I’ve been sent out in her stead. I understand you’re after these?’ They held up the piece of paper. Laura nodded. ‘If I’m not mistaken, these are ingredients for a location spell?’

‘That’s correct.’

‘Are you aware that you will need a personal belonging of the person that you are attempting to locate?’

Damn it. She’d hoped to use these ingredients to find Will, but hadn’t realised how involved it would be.

‘Ah, I wasn’t aware of that.’ She reached over and took the paper from their hand. ‘That sort of throws a wrench in my plan.’

‘That’s the problem with magic, I’m afraid. It’s not an exact science. A bit flimsy, if you want my honest opinion.’

Laura raised an eyebrow. ‘I’m surprised to hear the owner of a magic store say that.’

‘Well, I’m more of a science geek myself. Perry’s the magically gifted one.’

‘Not gifted enough to be on our registry, I see.’ Laura had meant it as a joke, but she saw something like offense flash in LaFontaine’s eyes. ‘Oh,’ Laura backtracked, ‘I’m sorry. I hadn’t meant to come across that rude.’

LaFontaine smiled. ‘No, no – don’t worry about it. She might be on there, one day.’

‘Well I wish her all the best with her magical endeavours.’

LaFontaine thanked her, and Laura turned to leave.

‘Detective?’

She turned back. ‘Yes?’

‘We might have something else that can help you.’

Their eyes flicked down to Laura’s throat. She hadn’t even thought to cover the bite marks. How embarrassing.

‘Please don’t think me rude, but I couldn’t help but notice that you’ve been attacked? And I understand that it’s quite a painful experience.’

‘Oh – I… uh yes, I was. I’m quite all right though, I assure you.’ Saying _I willingly let a vampire feed off me and enjoyed it_ wasn’t the kind of thing you blurted out to a stranger.

‘We carry a few healing remedies.’ They walked out from behind the desk and picked up a small crystal bottle containing light blue liquid. ‘This helps to replenish your system.’ Laura blinked. ‘It speeds up the healing process. The human body takes four to six weeks to fully replace red cells, but if you drink this, it will only take a few days.’ They walked back behind the register. ‘Dabbing it on your wounds will also help to close them faster and minimise scarring.’

‘Oh, thank you.’ Laura said. ‘I’ll definitely take it.’

LaFontaine beamed and placed the bottle inside a paper bag. ‘That’ll be seventeen dollars and ninety-nine cents.’

Laura handed over a twenty and pocketed the change. ‘Always a pleasure, don’t be surprised if you see a lot more of me in here these days.’

‘Always happy to help an officer of the law.’ LaFontaine smiled.

She said goodbye and walked back to her car. After climbing inside and slamming the door, she took out the bottle to examine it. Maybe this would allow Carmilla to drink from her more frequently.

Well, until she was healed. And just in case she ever needed to feed and Laura was the only person around. Yeah, like a safety net… just in case.

 

Laura almost dropped the bags in her hands when she walked through the door. Her old white lounge was gone and replaced by a black leather sofa. The floor had been scrubbed clean, and her apartment smelt like fresh cut flowers.

She placed the bags on the kitchen bench. ‘Carmilla?’ There was no response. She poked her head in to her bedroom. Carmilla was curled up in a ball and sleeping. One of her arms was cradling a pillow. A pair of dirtied gloves rested on the bedside table.

Laura smiled and walked back to the kitchen. She withdrew a small pastry from one of the bags and made her way back to the bedroom. The mattress dipped as she sat beside Carmilla. The motion was enough to rouse her.

‘Hi.’ She said, rubbing her eyes. ‘What time is it?’

‘Almost ten. I see you’ve been busy.’

She sat up against the headboard. ‘That other couch was ruined.’

‘You didn’t steal me a new sofa did you?’ Laura groaned.

 _‘Steal_? Detective Hollis, I am an officer of the law.’ Carmilla feigned offense and Laura rolled her eyes. ‘No, I didn’t steal it. It’s a spare, I just brought it over from my place.’

‘Already moving your furniture in? Are we U-Hauling?’ Laura joked.

Carmilla snorted, but she was smiling.

‘I brought you something.’ Laura said as she passed the pastry over.

She took it from her and examined it. It was a vanilla cupcake covered in thick pink frosting. Laura had already eaten one on her way home, and they were delicious.

‘Not really my style,’ Carmilla said, ‘but thank you.’ She dipped a finger in to the frosting and popped it in to her mouth. Laura’s eyes followed the movement.

‘It’s good, right?’

Carmilla licked her lips. ‘Surprisingly, yes.’

‘Okay, so,’ Laura started as she crossed her legs, ‘I went to the magic shop to buy ingredients for a locator spell and –’ 

‘Can’t locate anybody without a personal artefact, cupcake.’

She rolled her eyes. ‘Yes, thank you, I’ve already been informed. Anyway, they gave me this.’ Laura pulled out the small bottle from behind her back and passed it over to Carmilla.

She placed the cupcake down in her lap and took the bottle with both hands, twirling it from side to side.

‘Apparently, it’ll heal me up nice and quick so you can keep feeding from me.’

Carmilla raised an eyebrow.

‘Until you’re better.’ Laura added.

She popped the lid off and brought the bottle to her nose, and then quickly pulled it away from her face. ‘Not quite.’

‘Not quite what?’

‘Which shopkeeper gave you this?’

‘Not the curly-haired one,’ Laura responded, her brow furrowed, ‘the other owner, LaFontaine. They said they weren’t big on magic, but Perry was doing inventory.’

‘Well they weren’t wrong.’ She handed the bottle back. ‘Next time, get served by the magic geek.’

Laura frowned at the small bottle in her hands. ‘Why?’

‘To the untrained eye, that’s Sanaret – which helps to replenish red blood cells and speed up healing processes in humans. But what it _actually_ is, is Venemum.’

Three guesses what that meant.

‘They’re very similar, but the key difference is that Venemum releases a toxin in to your blood.’

Laura dropped the bottle and shuffled away from it.

‘Calm down, cutie,’ Carmilla said, ‘it’s harmless. Well, for you. If you drank that and then I bit you, I’d get very sick.’

‘Oh, should I call The Magick Shoppe and warn LaFontaine? They said they were more in to science than magic, they might be making other mistakes when they distribute these products.’

Carmilla put her hands behind her head, a bored expression on her face. ‘I wouldn’t bother. I’m sure the other owner already noticed. Just remember to ask for Perry, next time? Unless you’re going in there to buy a Bunsen burner.’

Laura blew out a breath of air. ‘Great. I just spent eighteen bucks on something I’ll _never_ use. Next time, you get to the make the trip to the magic store.’

‘Did you keep the receipt?’ Laura nodded. ‘Why don’t you just claim it back at work?’

‘I don’t think you can do that when you’re technically benched from the case you’re investigating and suspended from the department altogether.’

Carmilla’s mouth twitched. ‘Stick it on the fridge anyway.’

 

They’d spent the afternoon trying to locate any information they could on Will, but so far it had been useless. Carmilla had grown tired and Laura had opted to feed her again. But this time, she took the blood from her arm. Neither of them questioned it. After she’d taken it, she looked much healthier. The poison must almost be flushed from her body.

‘This is useless.’ Laura leant back and rubbed her eyes. Carmilla slid the computer from her lap and started typing. ‘How are we supposed to find information on some guy when we only have his first name?’

Carmilla leant back too. ‘Well, what do we know about this guy?’

What did they know? He was friends with Kirsch, and capable of transferring powers over. He had enough money to pay a guy to go around and kidnap girls for him. And for some reason, he wanted werewolves. Laura sat up.

‘Is there a market for werewolves?’

‘What do you mean?’ Carmilla rubbed absently at one of her temples. ‘Like, a market run by werewolves? Not that I’m aware-‘

‘ _No_ , Carmilla, like a market of people willing to _buy_ werewolves. Like, their fur or their teeth or something.’

Carmilla was sitting up now too. ‘Werewolf pelts fetch a pretty penny in some countries.’

‘How pretty?’

‘A few thousand, depending on the quality.’

Laura’s eyes narrowed. ‘Define “quality”?’

She sighed. ‘Well, there are a lot of factors. Female werewolves have finer fur, and are generally more aggressive than their male counterparts, which makes them harder to hunt and therefore makes their pelts harder to come by. I suppose age is also a factor. The younger the wolf, the better quality the pelt will be.’

‘So young females.’

‘Oh.’ Carmilla buried her face in her hands. ‘Oh my god, why didn’t we think of this sooner?’

‘He’s… he’s skinning them.’ Laura felt like she might vomit. 

Carmilla was typing away at the computer again. After a moment, her face lit up. ‘You know, you really are a genius,’ she said. ‘Look at this.’

It was a forum page. Laura’s eyes washed over it until she saw what must have caught Carmilla’s attention. It was some werewolf groupie page – to the casual observer, it just looked like the kind of site nerdy kids would visit to talk about fictional tv show characters or something. But someone had started a thread looking for ‘anyone that knows where I can buy a werewolf coat – as genuine as possible’. A few people had commented saying that you could buy just about anything from Ebay, but one individual, who’s screen name was simply ‘W’, had responded. The conversation continued down for about half a page. Basically, the guy was willing to pay five thousand dollars per coat, and ‘W’ had promised to deliver them within two months. This post was six weeks old. They were running out of time.

‘So, he’s got five girls, including Danny, but he promised six coats. So until he finds the last girl, maybe he won’t bother –’ Laura’s voice cracked when she said the next word – ‘skinning the others.’

‘Which means we’ve still got time to save all of them and bring this guy down. But where do we start looking?’

It only took Laura a few minutes to find the original poster’s Facebook page. His business was listed, and it was in town.

‘I don’t feel up to driving, would you mind?’ Laura asked.

They both stood up. After hesitating for a moment, Carmilla wrapped her arms around her waist. The back of Laura’s neck felt hot. ‘Hold on tight.’

 

It had taken approximately fifteen seconds to coax Will’s location out of the guy. He was a scrawny little man and had been holed up in his office when Carmilla had come crashing through the door, pinned him against a wall by his throat and demanded to know where Will was. (They’d both left their identification badges at home – besides, they _were_ officially off the case).

Now they were standing outside of a run down house in the middle of a suburban street. The sun was still up, so sneaking in without being seen was pretty much out of the question.

‘Let’s just charge in.’ Carmilla said.

Laura glanced at her. ‘Are you sure you’re up for that?’

‘Yes, for the millionth time, I’m feeling _much_ better.’

Laura didn’t mean to be such a drag; she was just worried. The idea of losing her twice in one day was making her eyes burn. Carmilla seemed to sense this and placed a hand on her shoulder. ‘I’m fine. Nothing’s going to happen to me. It was a fluke, Kirsch just got a lucky shot in.’

Laura pressed her palm against Carmilla’s chest over the already almost fully healed bullet wound. ‘We were lucky that he missed,’ she said.

Carmilla’s own hand came to rest on Laura’s, just for a moment, before she turned back to face the house and Laura moved her hand away.

‘Are we sure he’s not in there?’ Laura asked as she cocked her gun.

‘If he was, I’d be able to sense it. Kirsch was wielding some truly powerful dark magic in the stadium. That would be coming off Will in waves. He’s nowhere near us.’

After exchanging a nod, they made their way over to the house. Carmilla wasted no time in kicking the door open, but as soon as they were in, they both froze. A man with dark hair was sitting on a computer chair in front of them, eating noodles out of one of those instant-cups you put in the microwave. His hand was dangling a few centimetres away from his mouth as his eyes flicked back and forth between them.

Suddenly, the cup came flying in their direction. They both avoided being sprayed with hot water and darted after Will, who had leapt from his chair and gone for the window. Carmilla’s hand clamped down on his leg like a vice and dragged him away from it.

‘Hey! What the fuck!’ He yelled. She shoved him in to floor and pinned him there with her foot. He winced as she began applying more pressure to his chest.

‘The girls.’ She said. Her voice was eerily calm. ‘Where are they?’

His nervous eyes flicked to their right, and Laura immediately ran in that direction. There was no basement. No attic. Nothing that might lead her to a hidden room – and then the floor squeaked beneath her shoe. The ugly red carpet did nothing to improve the dinginess of this place. She threw it back to reveal a small cellar door. Oh my god.

Laura wrenched it open and dropped through it. Her feet collided with hard concrete. It was pitch black down here.

‘Hello?’ She called. Her voice didn’t echo. This must not be a particularly large space.

A shaky voice called back. ‘Who – who’s there?’ It sounded like it belonged to a young girl. Laura’s body flooded with adrenaline.

‘My name is Detective Hollis, and I’m going to get you out of here. Are you alone?’

‘No, there are others.’

Laura’s hands fumbled along the wall for a light switch until they finally made contact. She clicked it in and a dangling fluorescent light flickered in to existence. 

The room was disgusting – beyond filthy. And the walls were covered in a kind of weird padding. Four girls were huddled together in a corner. God, they were so young.

She took a few tentative steps toward them and extended her hand. One of the girls ran forward and threw her arms around Laura’s neck. Soon, all of them were crowded around her and crying. She found herself fighting back tears of her own. After comforting them for a moment, Laura pulled away. ‘Was there a fifth one? A woman named Danny?’ She asked, terrified of the answer.

One of the girls dropped her eyes to the floor. Laura’s heart sank. ‘There was.’

Was. Past tense.

‘Can you tell me what happened to her?’ Laura wanted to collapse, wanted to scream, but she couldn’t – not in front of these poor girls.

‘He… he tried to use the stuff on me, but it didn’t work, and he got mad.’

‘The stuff?’ Laura prodded gently.

‘The goo. That yellow stuff. It’s supposed to force us to... to turn. But it didn’t work.’

One of the other girls piped up now, Sarah Jane, if Laura’s memory could be trusted. ‘The other guy used it on us too, the warlock, when he took us. But all it did then was glow when it touched our skin. That’s how he knew for sure that we were werewolves.’

The other girls started talking too. They told Laura everything. How they’d been brought here, held in this cellar for weeks. How one night, when Will had tried to attack one of the girls in a fit of rage, Danny had leapt forward and stopped him. But it had cost her.

Laura fought hard to keep her voice steady. ‘And where is she now?’ One of the girls pointed to the concrete. There was a discoloured patch by the wall.

‘He buried her. She was still awake.’

Laura ran over and fell to her knees. She called out for Carmilla. Within seconds, she appeared beside her. The girls leapt back in surprise.

‘She’s… she’s under there.’ Laura managed to get out.

Carmilla followed her eyes to the concrete. Immediately, she dropped to her knees and began tearing chunks of it away. Her hands started to bleed but she didn’t stop. Once they reached the earth they both started digging. Laura’s hands tore at it until they made contact with something hard. A metal box. Oh god, she’s in there. Danny’s in there.

With a grunt, Carmilla managed to pull some of it out of the dirt. 

‘Are you sure you want to see this?’ She asked, fingers hovering over it.

Laura swallowed. ‘Just do it.’

In one movement, Carmilla wrenched the lid open, and there was Danny, pale as a ghost.

Laura wrapped her arms around her shoulders and pulled her up. Her chest was moving.

_Her chest was moving._

‘She’s alive!’ Laura screamed.

 

Hospitals had always made her uncomfortable. They had this sort of weird stale smell, like death.

Carmilla had transported Danny here a few hours ago while Laura took Will and the girls to the precinct. Her eyes had filled with tears at the site of their parents clinging to them. Their mothers.

Will had been taken in to custody and would be waiting for them once they returned. But for now, they were both sitting in the waiting room.

Carmilla’s fingers were intertwined with her own. She wasn’t sure when exactly it had happened, but she was grateful for the comfort.

Finally, a doctor rounded the corner. ‘Miss Hollis?’ She asked.

Laura jumped to her feet, leaving Carmilla on the seat.

‘She’s asking for you.’

The walk to her room felt like an eternity. She opened the door to find Danny on a bed with an oxygen mask strapped to her face.

‘Hey, Hollis.’ She managed a weak grin.

She dropped beside her and pulled Danny in to her arms.

‘It’s Laura today, okay?’

Danny nodded. Her auburn hair was in tangles. Laura brushed aside a few strands.

‘You had me worried sick, did you know that?’

Danny laughed, but it quickly divulged in to coughing. She pulled the mask away from her mouth and took a few strained breaths.

‘I’m a big girl. I can take care of myself.’

Laura took her hand and squeezed it. ‘You must have been terrified.’

Danny’s face fell. ‘I knew he wasn’t going to kill me – I’m too valuable. A ginger werewolf pelt? That’s worth more than a few measly dollars. So when he threw me in that box, I knew it wasn’t the end. But that almost made it worse.’

A tear streaked down Laura’s cheek. Danny raised a shaky hand to wipe it away. Her eyes drifted down to her throat.

‘Ah,’ she said, ‘I see you and Carmilla have been getting along?’

Her hand shot up to cover the bite wound that wasn’t hidden by her jacket. ‘It’s not what you think.’

Danny shook her head. ‘It doesn’t matter what I think about it. I just hope you’re happy.’

Laura pressed a tender kiss to Danny’s forehead. ‘I am, now that you’re safe.’

 

She arrived back at the precinct a little after nine. Carmilla had been gone by the time she came back out in to the waiting room. Probably to get a head start on interviewing Will.

When she stepped in to the room, everybody started cheering and clapping her on the back.

‘What are you all doing here?’ Laura asked as one of the other agents engulfed her in a hug.

‘We wanted to welcome you back!’ He beamed. ‘And, we’re all going to be on the other side of the mirror watching you make that slimy weasel squirm.’

She couldn’t help but laugh. It had only been a few days, but she’d really missed being at work. ‘Is Carmilla already in there?’ She asked.

‘Karnstein isn't here. We figured she’d be arriving with you.’ He said.

Laura frowned. ‘Uh, she was injured pretty badly. She’s probably back home recovering.’ Hopefully that sounded more believable than it felt.

Nobody seemed to notice the change in her demeanour. ‘Well come on, Hollis! Break this bastard’s balls, before one of us charges in there to do it.’

She laughed again. Danny was certainly well loved amongst her employees, there was no argument there.

 

Will tapped his fingers impatiently against the metal desk that his hands were cuffed too. Laura leant back in her chair with her arms folded and observed him.

‘Are these really necessary?’ He said, lifting his chained hands.

‘I don’t want you casting any nasty spells in my direction.’ She replied.

He looked confused. ‘Spells? I don’t do spells, kitten.’

She cringed at the nickname.

‘Yeah, you don’t. You just transfer your powers to your idiot “bro” and let him do all your dirty work, right?’

Now he just looked completely lost.

‘Are you talking about Kirsch?’ He asked.

Laura frowned. ‘Of course I am.’

He laughed – a sarcastic, biting one. ‘You think _he_ did _my_ dirty work? That’s a fucking laugh.’

Laura narrowed her eyes. ‘What do you mean?’

‘That guy owned my ass! He was a fucking nightmare. Always wanting more and more results before I could produce them. He’s a psychopath.’

So that’s why Carmilla couldn’t sense Will before they broke in to his house. There was nothing to sense. 

‘But – he wasn’t a magical being.’ Laura stuttered.

Will rolled his eyes. ‘Keep up, Detective. He didn’t get the powers from _me_ , but that doesn’t mean he didn’t get them from someone else.’

She slowly leant forward. Will shuffled back. ‘From who?’

‘I don’t know.’ Laura started to rise from her seat. ‘No! Really, I don’t know. I only met his partners once, and I didn’t even see their faces. But they were scary, man. Kirsch was their loyal dog. He just did whatever they asked. I can’t even imagine what kind of powers they had to make him do that.’

Laura slumped back in her seat. Of course, right when it seemed like it was over, some new horror would emerge. She rubbed her eyes, and then sat back up again.

‘So tell me, why didn’t you skin any of the girls during the last full moon? Why keep them around?’

He laughed. ‘Why do you think werewolf pelts are so rare, Detective? Cause it’s almost impossible to skin a wolf without it ripping your throat out. The full moon makes them too strong, it doesn’t matter how many tranquilisers you shoot in to them – they’re just too powerful. So I was waiting.’

‘For what?’

‘For the product to be ready.’

Laura leant forward again. ‘The translucent goo from the crime scenes.’

He winked. It made her want to gag. ‘Spot on, Detective. It started out as a way to identify them, but then it became something more. Eventually, it will be able to force people in to their werewolf states. If you can get a wolf on a night that _isn’t_ a full moon, it would probably only take two darts to knock them out cold.’

‘But why skin them unconscious? Why not just kill them?’

He raised an eyebrow. ‘You can’t skin a dead wolf. There’s no such thing. Once a wolf dies, they transform back in to a human.’

Laura pushed her seat back and stood up. ‘Don’t go anywhere.’

Will raised his shackled hands and shook the chains.

 

The other agents wouldn’t let her go outside – after all, Kirsch was still at large – so Laura was standing by a window in Danny’s office trying to get reception. When she finally got more than two bars, she called Carmilla. She picked up on the second ring.

_Hey._

‘Hey, partner. Where are you?’

_I’m at home._

‘Which home, yours or mine?’

_Mine._

Laura had meant that as a joke, but it didn’t sound like Carmilla was in a mood to laugh.

‘Why aren’t you down here at the precinct interviewing Will with me?’

_I wasn’t sure if you were gonna show up there tonight. Thought maybe you’d need some time with Chief Lawrence._

Laura frowned.

‘No, I only saw her for a few minutes. When I came back out, you were gone.’

No response.

‘Anyway, I think you should get down here. I’ve just finished interviewing Will and – ’

The call cut out. Laura stared down at her phone to try and figure out what had happened, but she needn’t have bothered. A few seconds later, black smoke was filling the room, and there was Carmilla. She still had Laura’s shirt on.

‘Tell me everything.’

So Laura filled her in. When she got to the part about Kirsch’s partners, Carmilla’s eyes were narrowed.

‘Partners, as in plural?’ She asked.

‘Yeah I guess so.’

Carmilla started pacing. Laura leant back against the wall. She liked watching her pace.

‘And the gooey shit, did he say who conjured it?’

‘No, just that it was a work in progress.’

Carmilla opened her mouth to say something else, but was interrupted when Natalie burst in to the room.

‘Laura!’ She said as she threw her arms around her neck. Carmilla frowned. ‘I’ve been looking for you since I heard you got back!’

They broke the hug.

‘I’ve been interviewing Will for the last hour, what’s going on?’

Natalie pulled a folder out of her bag and threw it down on Danny’s desk. Carmilla walked over to join them.

‘That sludge at the crime scenes – it’s not magical, that’s why we couldn’t identify it! We’ve been coming at it from the wrong angle for _weeks._ ’

They both looked lost. Natalie pressed on.

‘It’s a biologically manufactured substance. Someone cooked this up in a lab, no spell books necessary. And whoever did it was good, it completely fooled everyone in the Magical Artifacts department.’

Carmilla and Laura’s eyes met at the same time. They were both thinking the same thing.

‘Let’s go. Now.’ Carmilla said.

Natalie stumbled out of the way. ‘Where are you guys going?’

Laura’s arm was already around Carmilla’s waist. ‘To arrest Kirsch’s partners.’

Before Natalie could say anything else, she disappeared in a black haze. 

 

This teleportation was a little bumpier than the last few she’d experienced. She pulled her arm a little tighter around Carmilla and that seemed to steady things. The blurry street began taking form around her, sliding together and becoming solid.

But The Magick Shoppe was gone. Literally. There was just an empty lot of dirt where the building used to stand.

‘What the hell?’ Carmilla asked as she strode toward it. ‘It’s – it’s gone!’

Laura stood there, dumbfounded. There was no trace of it. How had they managed to do this?

‘I fucking knew it.’ Carmilla said suddenly, throwing her hands in to the air. ‘Remember when I told you I’d gotten a weird vibe? It was Perry trying to cloak her power, but I’d still sensed it.’

She thought back to how she’d jokingly told LaFontaine that their partner wasn’t “gifted enough” to be on the magical registry. She’d said it herself: the only people unwilling to go on record are the ones who have something to hide.

‘Couples commit crimes together all the time… you were right.’ Laura mumbled as she picked up the dirt and let it trail from her hand. ‘Jesus, we should have seen it from the very beginning.’

‘Right? Perry was too cheerful. We should have known she was evil.’

Despite their current situation, Laura found herself laughing. 

Carmilla walked in to the middle of the lot and knelt down. ‘There’s a note.’ She said quietly. 

Laura walked to her side, taking it from her hand.

_Until we meet again._

She turned it over. There was nothing. 

 

It had been two days since Danny was rescued. She was still a total mess, but had returned to work anyway. Everybody had cheered when she’d limped back in to the office with her identification badge gleaming on her collar.

A bit more digging on Laura and Carmilla’s part had revealed that “Lola Perry” was in fact Lola Perrington; who attended the same high school as Brody Kirsch in Belgium. 

As it turned out, Lola had been the magically gifted one, and Kirsch had simply covered for her when the dark magical ingredients had been discovered. In return, Lola had made him her right-hand man. Since the disappearance of the shop, there had been no signs of Kirsch either. It was safe to say they’d all moved on to another town.

Danny had sat them both down and thanked them for saving her. It was all very lovely until Carmilla asked for a raise, then they were both kicked out of her office.

They’d both been given the day off and Laura was starting to feel like she’d been on holidays for a month. She’d be glad to return to work tomorrow and have everything back to normal. 

Now they were sipping their respective beverages on Laura’s little balcony. It had taken some coaxing before Carmilla was willing to lean against the railing again.

“I can’t believe I got shot up here.’

Laura’s eyes drifted down to Carmilla’s chest. There wasn’t even a trace of the wound anymore.

‘Yeah, I’m starting to feel like this apartment is accumulating too many shitty memories. I’m thinking of moving.’ Laura said, placing her hot cocoa on the ledge. Carmilla did the same with her own drink.

‘Oh, I don’t know,’ Carmilla turned to face her, ‘there are some nice memories too.’

Laura found herself thinking back to their stargazing. It felt like an eternity ago. She sighed.

‘Don’t look so down, Hollis. We cracked the case. It’s over.’

‘Is it?’ She turned away and leant her back against the railing. ‘It’s only a matter of time before they try to take more werewolves.’

Carmilla moved closer. ‘I’m not going anywhere. We’ll get them, Laura. Together.’

Laura bit her lip. The full moon was shining down and it made Carmilla’s skin glow. 

‘So,’ Carmilla continued, ‘Chief Lawrence is looking much better.’

She was doing a very poor job of disguising the jealousy in her tone.

‘Yeah, she’s tough.’ Laura said simply.

Carmilla started fiddling with the rails. ‘I wonder if her near-death experience will give her a new lease on life. Maybe make her rethink a few things.’

Laura tried to not smile. ‘She’s not going to propose to me again.’

She didn’t respond. She just stared at her own hands.

‘And even if she did, I wouldn’t say yes.’ Laura finished.

Carmilla still wouldn’t meet her eyes. ‘You wouldn’t?’ She asked.

‘No, I wouldn’t.’

Laura turned so that they were standing face to face. Her arms laced around Carmilla, who swallowed.

‘Are we going somewhere, cupcake?’

Laura shook her head. Carmilla wet her lips and her eyes drifted down. They were so close now that their foreheads were touching.

Carmilla took in a breath that she didn’t need. ‘We’re partners, Hollis. This is against the rules.’

‘Since when did you play by the rules?’

At the same time, as if pulled by an invisible string, they moved together and kissed, and it was everything Laura had imagined.

Carmilla’s soft hands slid up her arms and over her shoulders. She felt her smiling against her mouth. Finally, Laura pulled back. Carmilla’s eyes were shining.

Laura took her by the hand and led her back inside. A rosy pink was spreading across Carmilla’s chest.

‘Do you remember when you tricked me in to buying those ingredients at The Magick Shoppe?’ Laura asked as she walked away from her and in to the kitchen.

Carmilla laughed. ‘I do.’

‘And do you remember how I still owe you a favour? For the first time you saved my life?’

Her voice was deeper this time. ‘I do.’

When she stood up, she was holding a little bottle of shimmering golden liquid. Carmilla’s eyes practically bulged out of her head.

‘Well, I made it.’ Laura crossed the room until she reached Carmilla, and took a sip of the potion.

Carmilla took the bottle from her hands and drank the other half.

After a few seconds, she started feeling very heady, and walked Carmilla to her bedroom.

 

Laura awoke before the sun had fully risen. She watched the soft orange light creep along her walls until it hit Carmilla’s bare shoulder. In this moment, she realised that her father hadn’t been entirely wrong about her. Maybe she did drink too much, and maybe she did attract death and despair and monsters.

But not all monsters are evil. Sometimes you love them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was a lot longer than I expected it to be, but I didn't want to break it up. I wanted to have this finished for you guys to read. So thanks, and I hope you all enjoyed the ride :-)


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